The French president also said he expected tensions with the U.S. to outlast President Donald Trump.
“This is a historical trend,” he said. “We can engage with the U.S. on some issues, and [that] still makes a lot of sense because of the common values and historical bonds, but I really believe that this U.S. approach will last,” he added.
He said the main difference between the first and second Trump terms was that many European countries thought the first term was an aberration that would end, not requiring fundamental changes.
“Now, a lot of colleagues are more lucid, because after so many years, we say, okay, we have to react. We have to act as Europeans, to be more united, to defend ourselves our own interests. And for me, this is the right direction.”
Macron flew to Athens after an informal European Council meeting in Cyprus because Greece and France are set to sign the renewal of a bilateral security pact on Saturday.
The signing seeks to update a pact reached in 2021 between Macron and Mitsotakis, which included a mutual defense clause and commitments from Greece to purchase at least €3 billion-worth of French warships.
The renewal will extend it for a further five years, with an automatic renewal thereafter and is also expected to include new areas of cooperation, such as foreign policy, civil protection and the economy.