Macron calls on Europe to shun US, develop own air defenses
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on European nations to develop their own air defenses, and to move away from relying too much on the United States.
“We need to know what the threat situation is … And then, what are we, Europeans, able to produce? And what do we then need to buy?” Macron emphasized at a one-day conference in Paris of defense ministers and other military representatives of 20 European nations on Monday.
He further pushed for European military equipment manufacturers to build independent warfare systems and relocate production on the continent, calling for enhanced European standards and warning the participants against purchasing immediately “what’s on the shelves.”
“Why do we still need to buy American too often? Because Americans have standardized much more than we have, and they themselves have federal agencies that provide massive subsidies to their manufacturers,” the French leader then underlined.
According to French organizers of the event, discussions included the need to develop anti-drone systems and ballistic missile defense as the raging Ukraine conflict has demonstrated their significance.
Macron's remarks come as Europeans have increasingly relied on military systems built from American and Israeli components.
The French president had previously also called on European countries to lower their dependence on the US dollar and to develop more strategic autonomy.
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