By John Irish
ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) – France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he would use a summit of Ukraine’s allies next week to unveil new defence initiatives and joint military exercises, presenting the gathering as further evidence that Europe was assuming greater responsibility for its own security.
More than seven years after declaring NATO was suffering from “brain death”, Macron said at the alliance’s annual summit in Ankara that Europe had shown it was investing more in defence, defending its sovereignty and developing strategic autonomy within NATO.
The July 13 meeting, expected to bring together around 35 leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, will focus on tackling Russia’s shadow fleet, new military capabilities for Ukraine, greater mobilisation of defence industries and deeper operational cooperation among Kyiv’s backers, Macron said.
A long-time champion of European strategic autonomy, Macron argued that Russia’s war in Ukraine and uncertainty over long-term U.S. military commitments had accelerated Europe’s efforts to build up its own defence capabilities while remaining anchored within NATO.
Macron ignited a fierce debate among allies in 2019 when he declared NATO was experiencing “brain death”, citing what he saw as a lack of strategic coordination and the unpredictability of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
As he enters the final year of his presidency, Macron used the Ankara summit to argue that many of the changes he had long advocated were now taking shape, from higher European defence spending to a greater operational role within the alliance and efforts to build a stronger European defence industrial base.
“France has long advocated that Europeans must support and defend a European defence industry. If we spend more, it should not simply be to buy non-European equipment,” he said.
Macron said Europe was developing its own missile-defence systems, long-range precision-strike capabilities, early-warning networks and artificial-intelligence-enabled command systems.
He sought to play down lingering concerns over Washington’s commitment to the alliance, saying Trump had reiterated his support for NATO in closed-door discussions despite periodic public criticism of allies.
“The United States has announced a redeployment of its efforts, which seems entirely legitimate to me, and Europeans must organise themselves accordingly,” Macron said.
“But we should not do this because someone asks us to. We should do it for ourselves.”
France’s relationship with NATO has long been complicated. Although a founding member, Paris withdrew from the alliance’s integrated military command in 1966 under Charles de Gaulle before returning fully under Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009.
Since taking office, Macron has sought both to deepen France’s role within NATO and to strengthen what he describes as a European pillar of the alliance.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has strengthened that case.
Despite mounting pressure on public finances, France has maintained defence spending in line with NATO targets and expanded its military presence across the alliance’s eastern flank, while offering greater cooperation with European allies on its nuclear deterrence.
French troops are deployed in Romania and the Baltic states. Macron announced on Wednesday that France would participate in NATO force rotations in Finland alongside Finland and Sweden, becoming one of the first allies to contribute to the newly established deployment near the alliance’s border with Russia.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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