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French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday a further 6.5 billion euros of military spending over the next two years.
The French leader stated these plans in a speech calling for intense efforts to protect Europe and support Ukraine in the face of a continuous, serious invasion by Russia.
According to Macron, France aims to spend 64 billion euros on annual defence spending in 2027. This figure is twice the 32 billion euros spent on defense when he became president in 2017.
“Since 1945, freedom has not been so threatened, and never so seriously,” Macron said in the French president’s traditional speech to the military on the eve of Bastille Day national holidays.
“To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be strong,” he said.
He claimed that France could afford higher military spending, even if it wanted. Reduce national debt. Conservatives and far-right parties support his push for large-scale defence investment, while leftists accused the government of supporting the military and undermining social welfare.
Macron warned that Europe faced dangers from Russian wars in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and foreign-led disinformation campaigns, including child-targeting propaganda.
He also directed French military and defense leadership to launch a “strategic dialogue” with European partners about the potential role of French nuclear weapons With European security architecture. In a rare stage, France and the UK recently agreed to deepen their cooperation on nuclear defense.
Macron’s speech was about US President Donald Trump on Monday, and NATO head travels to Washington Two-day lecture.
Additional sources •AP
