AURÉLIEN MORISSARD/AP
French President Emmanuel Macron listens to a question at his first prime-time news conference to announce his most sensible priorities for the year as he seeks to revitalize his presidency, vowing to focus on “results” despite the lack of a majority in parliament on Tuesday (January 1). On the 16th, at the Elysée Palace in Paris.
PARIS >> French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced plans to send more long-range cruise missiles and bombs to Ukraine and warned he would find strategies to work with Donald Trump should he win the presidency.
“I accept the leaders given to me by others,” the French leader said, adding that he is in a position to communicate with “anyone” when France’s interests are at stake.
“I had to do this with President Trump during his term,” Macron said. He noted that while they found common ground on some issues, they were divided on others, adding the fight against climate reform and taxes.
Macron’s opinion of Trump emerged at a high-profile news conference in which he addressed a range of internal and external issues for more than two hours.
He warned that regardless of who wins the White House, Europe is bracing for the option of U. S. priorities elsewhere.
“They percentages our values, however, this is a democracy that is also going through a crisis,” Macron said. She said that “her first priority is herself” and that her second priority is China.
“That’s why we Europeans want to be transparent about it. That is why I also want a more powerful Europe, which knows how to fend for itself and does not rely on others,” he said. “This is how I prepare for the U. S. election, regardless of the outcome. “
Turning to Ukraine, Macron said he will travel there next month and finalize a security agreement with the government in Kyiv. He said a Russian victory would undermine the international rules-based order and make life “impossible” for Russia’s neighbors.
“We can’t let Russia win and we shouldn’t,” he said.
He said France plans to deliver about 40 long-range missiles and “several hundred bombs that our Ukrainian friends are waiting for.” They will come on top of previous French deliveries of artillery, light tanks and other military hardware, training for Ukrainian troops, and French efforts to boost Ukrainian production and purchases of weaponry.
Much of Macron’s prime-time news conference focused on domestic issues. He laid out broad plans to strengthen and better prepare France for global crises, saying the country has “all the aces to succeed.”
The occasion was Macron’s latest attempt to reinvigorate his presidency after fatal internal battles, adding France’s retirement age and how increased immigration, and last year’s unrest that swept through many cities and towns after the police shooting death of a teenager.
In a year in which France will be in the global spotlight as it hosts the Summer Olympics in Paris, Macron will make a fresh start in 2024. Last week, Macron installed a new prime minister, the youngest in history of France, and a new Ministers. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 34, and cabinet members sat together on one side as Macron held court for him at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday night.
Macron hopes his new government will show “boldness, power and action. ” Against a blue, white and red background, he delved into life’s disruptions, from healthcare prices to the amount of time young people spend in front of screens to schooling and how to increase the birth rate in France .
Macron’s second term as president is beset by his lack of a majority in parliament. He faces a struggle to remain relevant and not become a lame duck. The news conference was a bid to show that he still has ambition and plans, timed in the evening to reach a broad audience. He spoke often without notes.
Macron is also looking at his legacy. Constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term in 2027, Mâcon risks being replaced by one of his most tenacious political opponents: far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Defeated by Macron in the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, Le Pen and her National Rally have become more potent under Macron’s government.
Macron was animated on Tuesday night when he spoke of Le Pen’s camp, calling it a “party of lies. “
He argued that a far-right victory in 2027 isn’t written.
“A lot happens in three-and-a-half years,” he said.
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Leicester contributed from Le Pecq, France.
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