President Emmanuel Macron stated today during a meeting with French ambassadors at the Elysee Palace that "The US is an established power, but it is gradually turning its back on some allies and breaking international rules it recently promoted".
The French leader believes some multilateral institutions are becoming increasingly inefficient. He emphasized that "global governance" is very important, amid concerns about the US potentially controlling Greenland by force and turning Canada into its "51st state". Macron observed that now is the appropriate time to "fully reinvest" in the United Nations, and called on Europe to protect its interests and strengthen regulations in the technology sector.
 |
President Macron speaking at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on 8/1. *AP* |
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had previously also strongly criticized US foreign policy under his counterpart, Donald Trump. "The US, our most important partner and a country that helped build the world order, is eroding many values", he stated. Steinmeier believes the world must be prevented from becoming a "den of thieves, where nations are treated as the property of some great powers". While the German presidency is primarily a ceremonial role, the words of its occupant still carry some influence, and the German president is believed to have more freedom to express views than other politicians.
These criticisms come as European powers work to find a common approach to assertive US foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. On the morning of 3/1, the US military launched an operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. President Trump had repeatedly expressed his intention to control Greenland, an island belonging to Denmark, a NATO ally, as well as calling for Canada to merge with the US to become its 51st state.
On 6/1, European leaders, including those from the UK and Germany, issued a joint statement opposing President Trump's idea of controlling Greenland. On 5/1, President Macron also affirmed that he "does not support or endorse" the US's approach to arresting the Venezuelan President.
US officials have not yet commented on these criticisms.
 |
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaking at a workshop in Berlin, Germany on 7/1. *AFP* |
Pham Giang (According to AFP, Reuters)
