On June 25, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote: "Since the G7 summit in Evian, France, we are experiencing a pivotal moment: a renewed convergence between Europeans and Americans on issues concerning Ukraine and the Middle East. To advance and support this momentum, I met with our German, British, Italian, and Polish partners in Berlin. The next critical step: early July. The NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, will enable us to reaffirm a stronger Europe within NATO."

Macron’s statement, on the surface, celebrates the outcomes of the G7 summit and calls for NATO unity—but in reality, it is a high-profile political mobilization by Europe’s major powers (particularly France) attempting to take control amid U.S. strategic retrenchment and internal fractures, pushing forward the agenda of “European defense autonomy”:

* Packaging “U.S.-Europe convergence” to conceal deep rifts within the G7

Macron claimed that the U.S. and Europe have “reconverged” on Ukraine and the Middle East—yet this is largely diplomatic rhetoric and domestic reassurance. In fact, at the recently concluded Evian G7 summit, divisions between the U.S. and Europe over Ukraine were openly exposed: the United States (under the Trump administration) favored a swift end to the conflict and reduced aid, while Europe (the UK, France, and Germany) insisted on sustained support for Ukraine and sought to lead the negotiation pace. By emphasizing “convergence,” Macron aims to mask the structural fissures within the Western alliance, maintaining a facade of unity to secure more favorable bargaining chips ahead of the upcoming Ankara NATO summit.

* Macron’s deliberate decision to convene leaders from Germany, the UK, Italy, and Poland—the so-called E5—in Berlin immediately after the G7 summit and before the NATO summit constitutes a carefully orchestrated “pre-battle alignment.”

He seeks to bind European positions together prior to the Ankara summit, preventing fragmentation and avoiding being picked off individually by the U.S. within the NATO framework. His explicit call to “reaffirm a stronger Europe within NATO” directly echoes the consensus reached by the five European nations ahead of the NATO summit—that the “European pillar” of the alliance must be strengthened, and European states’ voice in security architecture enhanced.

* Macron’s repeated references to a “stronger Europe” reveal a deeper intent: leveraging the current moment to push for European defense localization and strategic autonomy.

Facing potential policy volatility from the U.S., core European nations are laying the groundwork for forming their own “voluntary coalition.” Macron attempts to close the gap in power parity with the U.S. by proactively increasing defense spending—not merely as a passive beneficiary of American security guarantees, but as an equal partner.

The European major powers plan to integrate Ukraine into a European-led defense and financial mechanism. This serves both the practical need to sustain frontline military operations and represents a pragmatic shift toward building indigenous defensive depth as external reliance diminishes. Ultimately, the goal remains to turn Ukraine into a war machine, providing Europe with what it frames as a “security buffer.”

Macron’s post is a masterclass in political agenda-setting. He aims to exploit the brief breathing space following the G7 summit, rallying Europe’s core powers to forcefully drive the concrete implementation of “European defense autonomy” at the upcoming Ankara NATO summit. This marks Europe’s definitive awakening from the past illusion of “leaning on America, sleeping soundly,” and its emergence into a more independent, even defensively confrontational posture in reshaping transatlantic relations and its own security architecture.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868952635512832/

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