‘Real army’ will defend Europe ‘against China, Russia, US’ – Macron

6 Nov, 2018 08:29 / Updated 5 years ago

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Tuesday for a “real European army” as the continent marks a century since the divisions of WWI. “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America,” Macron told Europe 1 radio. The French president has pushed for a joint EU military force since his arrival in power last year. He said Tuesday that Europe needed to reduce its dependence on US might, AFP reports. “When I see [US President Donald Trump] announcing that he’s quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security,” he said. Faced with “a Russia which is at our borders and has shown that it can be a threat,” Macron added: “We need a Europe which defends itself better alone, without just depending on the US, in a more sovereign manner.”