Macron: Freedom must be exchanged for strong deterrence, France no longer has the peace dividend

French President Emmanuel Macron announced to the military on Sunday, July 13, the day before the National Day, that an additional 6.5 billion euros in defense spending will be added over the next two years to deal with new and unprecedented threats.

In a speech addressed to the French armed forces, Macron explained this adjustment in spending, while calling for stronger efforts to protect Europe and support Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion. He insisted that even while striving to reduce the large national debt, France is still able to raise funds to increase defense spending. The Associated Press pointed out that in the current French political arena, conservative and far-right parties support increasing defense spending, while the left-wing criticizes the government for sacrificing hard-won social welfare to raise funds for military expenses.

Regarding the plan to double France's military spending by 2027 (comparing to the spending in 2017), Macron specifically explained, "Although we originally planned to double the budget by 2030, we will ultimately achieve this goal by 2027. For this reason, an updated version of the military planning law will be submitted in the fall, covering efforts needed from 2027 within my responsibility. In 2017, France's military budget was 32 billion euros. In 2026, we will inject an additional 3.5 billion euros into the current military planning law, and then add another 3 billion euros the following year. That is to say, we will allocate 64 billion euros for defense in 2027, which is twice the military budget of our armed forces in 2017."

Macron pointed out that the war in Ukraine and the wars in the Middle East have placed Europe in danger. Other threats he mentioned include government-led cyber disinformation campaigns and propaganda actions targeting children. Macron also ordered the highest military and defense officials of France to initiate a "strategic dialogue" with European partners on the role of France's nuclear arsenal in protecting Europe. It is worth noting that France and the United Kingdom recently reached a consensus to cooperate on nuclear defense matters.

Regarding the issue of war, Macron emphasized, "Since 1945, our freedom has never been so seriously threatened. The peace on this continent has never depended so much on our current decisions." "If freedom has a price, then this cost is such: we are a generation that has not experienced war, and we also believe that our children will only live in peace. But we need to be realistic: we no longer have the peace dividend enjoyed by our parents' generation. These things are over." "To maintain freedom in this world, we must make people fear us. To make people fear us, we must be strong. For this, the country must become stronger."

Macron's speech comes just before U.S. President Donald Trump made statements on the Russia issue. The NATO Secretary-General will also attend a two-day meeting in Washington. Last week, Trump announced plans to sell weapons to NATO allies, which can then be transferred to Ukraine. Macron pointed out, "Facing the uncertainty of the United States, the intentions (ambitions) of China, and the threat of Russia, Europe's strength is our best shield."

Recently, Macron had his first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in three years. However, because Macron remains firmly supportive of Ukraine, France has become a target of strong criticism from Russian state media. The Kremlin stated that the "conflict" in Ukraine is the result of Western countries ignoring Russian security interests.

Source: rfi

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837624381304907/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.