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French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday announced an additional €6.5 billion in military spending over the next two years.
The French leader set out these plans in a speech in which he called for intensified efforts to protect Europe and to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion.
France will aim to spend €64 billion in annual defence spending in 2027, according to Macron. This figure is double the €32 billion the country was spending on defence when he became president in 2017.
“Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously,” Macron said in the French president’s traditional speech to the military on the eve of the Bastille Day national holiday.
“To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful,” he said.
He insisted France can afford higher military spending even as it seeks to reduce its national debt. While conservatives and far-right parties broadly back his push for greater defence investment, left-wing parties have accused the government of undermining social welfare in favour of the military.
Macron warned that Europe faces mounting dangers from Russia’s war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and foreign-led disinformation campaigns, including propaganda targeting children.
He also instructed France’s military and defence leadership to launch a “strategic dialogue” with European partners about the potential role of France’s nuclear arsenal in Europe’s security architecture. In a rare step, France and Britain recently agreed to deepen cooperation on nuclear defence.
Macron’s speech came as US President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement about Russia on Monday and as the head of NATO travels to Washington for two days of talks.
Additional sources • AP
