Macron headed toward butting heads with Trump: Bloomberg
7 Min Read
As global powers strive to solve the Ukraine conflict according to their own view, Macron finds his country's relations with the United States heading toward a rocky road.
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US President Donald Trump, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive for a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Monday, February 24, 2025. (AP)
A new report by Bloomberg delved into the rising tensions between the United States President Donald Trump and the French President Emmanuel Macron, as the two find themselves aiming for different, diverging goals.
Macron, who had been facing a series of defeats following his loss of the parliamentary majority in last summer's elections, now finds a chance to bolster his position with the return of great power politics amid Trump's shakedown of global affairs.
However, the French president finds himself heading toward a head-on collision with Trump.
While France is working on bringing allies together to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, Trump is working on ending the conflict, which interferes with Europe and Macron's goals.
France, US colliding head-on
The US president is presenting the ceasefire as an opportunity to foster new economic and political ties with Russia, while Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted on a total stop to arms shipments to Ukraine, which would undermine Macron's push to rally backing for Kiev, during a call with Trump on Tuesday,
The Bloomberg report highlighted that one senior official from a major European Union power dismissed Putin's demands on Tuesday, saying there is no way European nations could oblige to such a term, while the French government spokesperson Sophie Primas stated on Wednesday that Moscow's conditions are "unrealistic".
The French government spokeswoman added that Macron was holding daily discussions with his Ukrainian and American counterparts to pave the way forward.
During a video briefing with reporters on Wednesday, as Zelensky's phone rang and he answered the call, he addressed the caller as Emmanuel and apologized while assuring that he would return the call later, explaining that he was talking with journalists.
The Ukrainian leader, speaking to reporters, mentioned his plans to travel to France next week to discuss the potential deployment of foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine while emphasizing the current necessity of working out the general vision before moving forward.
The French president and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have brought together military leaders and defense ministers from Europe’s main military powers, as well as ad hoc European leaders, uniting 37 countries in preparation for aiding Ukraine after the ceasefire while Trump continues to push for a quick end to the fighting.
“Global affairs gave Macron his credibility back,” pointed Melody Mock-Gruet, a political expert and teacher at Sciences Po, Paris.
Macron and Starmer's initiative will see European militaries, as well as the Commonwealth and Asia, contributing with funding, troops, aircraft, and naval vessels to protect Ukraine from future attacks by Russia. The idea has been gaining traction despite the absence of some key Ukraine allies.
European nations bolster their defense
The Bloomberg report noted that European nations are striving to transform their military capabilities to establish a credible deterrent against future Russian aggression, independent of the US They worry that an unjust and fragile peace agreement could be imposed on Ukraine, allowing Putin time to rebuild his forces for another assault.
On March 18, German lawmakers approved a historic spending package that will unlock hundreds of billions of euros in debt financing for defense and infrastructure after decades of fiscal restraint.
Macron has initiated discussions with EU allies about expanding the protection of France’s nuclear arsenal and met in Berlin with both outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his successor Friedrich Merz to align their positions ahead of Thursday’s talks.
Macron makes a comeback
As European leaders try to follow the White House’s position and plan their response, Macron’s long-standing ties with Trump make him a key player. After an EU summit earlier this month, the French president, who has known Trump since his first term, spent more than half an hour briefing his US counterpart, according to a French official.
Macron thinks Trump values personal relationships, according to people familiar with his views, and has told aides that while Trump isn’t a good listener, the right argument can capture his attention, they added. While other Western leaders are scrambling to find a response to Trump reshaping global policy, Macron's connection with Trump makes him a reference point, according to Bloomberg.
Mark Carney chose Paris for his first foreign visit this week after becoming Canada’s prime minister, and after talks on supporting Ukraine and addressing the rising US tariffs, he said he aims to deepen ties with “reliable allies". Meanwhile, another leader from the Americas reached out to Macron for help in dealing with Trump, according to a person briefed on the discussions who requested anonymity.
The French president benefited locally from returning to the limelight of international relations, upping his approval rates, which reached a record low. According to an Ouest-France poll, the French president's approval ratings went up 7 points in March compared to February, reaching 31%, a level close to his approval rates before last year's parliamentary elections.
“We’ve always been on the side of peace,” Macron said on Tuesday during a press conference in Germany, adding, “We must not give in to any inversion of values or rhetoric. This is the historic role of France and Germany and the whole of Europe — at the side of the Ukrainians.”
France, US alliance faces obstacles
Yet, Macron’s efforts to strengthen his ties with the White House encounter significant resistance, with a center-left opposition lawmaker in France this month suggesting that the US should return the Statue of Liberty because it is straying away from the shared values between Paris and Washington.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt responded by saying that the French should be thankful to the US that they are not speaking German, invoking the liberation of France from German occupation in World War II.
The US has already demonstrated its hard power by suspending the supply of weapons and military intelligence to Kiev after a recent row between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office last month.
According to a European official, deploying European troops to Ukraine would always involve significant risks. However, those risks would be even greater if such a move enabled Zelenskiy to push back against US pressure to negotiate with Putin.
How France will finance a greater commitment to Ukraine remains uncertain. Macron has ruled out tax hikes, while Finance Minister Eric Lombard has emphasized that the country cannot afford to take on more debt. On Thursday, Lombard will meet with banks and insurance companies to explore ways to increase defense investment.
“Things are very fragile for Macron,” Mock-Gruet stated.
Since taking office in 2017, Macron has been pushing for a major buildup of Europe’s military strength, but he struggled to get other countries on board, however, as European leaders rush to adapt to a fast-changing situation, his warnings have finally gained widespread acceptance.
Famke Krumbmüller, a geostrategy consultant at EY, said having a leader like Macron who is willing to make these decisions is valuable, even if they should have been made much earlier in the Ukraine war
