Emmanuel Macron has adopted a new tactic this week in an attempt to mend France’s strained relations with Europe’s eastern flank – calling it “strategic humility”.
in a speech At a security conference in Bratislava, the French president all but apologized for not heeding Warsaw’s warnings to Tallinn about the risks posed by Vladimir Putin’s belligerent Russia, promising their future France can be “counted on”.
“Some say you missed the opportunity to shut up. I think we also missed the opportunity to listen to you,” Macron said. “This time it’s over.”
The carefully crafted line alludes to a notorious 2003 quip by then-President Jacques Chirac in which he accused Eastern European nations of siding with the U.S. and Britain over the invasion of Iraq for daring to share their views.
By contrasting Chirac’s high-handed rhetoric, which shocked many in Eastern Europe at the time, with Macron’s apparent humility, the Elysee Palace hoped to signal that France wanted to work with countries in the region to address the challenges posed by the war in Ukraine.
The speech, which also included a pledge for Ukraine to follow through and familiar calls for Europe to invest in its “strategic autonomy” in defense, was met with growing applause from officials and analysts present. He even admitted that in the past France was considered “arrogant, alienated and disinterested” on the fringes of Europe.
Yet even Macron’s allies concede that words alone will not be enough to overcome deep-seated distrust between France and its eastern neighbor. It wasn’t just the French president’s fruitless negotiations with Putin before the invasion. Some have not forgotten that Macron called NATO “brain dead” in 2019 and are wary of Paris’s frequent calls for Europe to reduce its reliance on US security.
More recently, Macron has also been annoyed by a series of media interviews, such as saying Russia needs “security guarantees” to end the war – ignoring the fact that Ukraine needs them more – or that Russia “should not be humiliated” in any peacetime process .
His recent warning that Europe should not “follow” the U.S. amid growing tensions with China over Taiwan sparked outrage in eastern Europe, which sees them as five-tone given the U.S.’s leading role in supporting Ukraine Incomplete.
In Bratislava, Macron’s task will not only be to clarify France’s position, but also to prepare for the difficult decisions facing Europe in the coming months, including the next phase of the war in Ukraine and the future of the European Union’s eastward expansion and NATO. Related questions. .
The speech read like a mini-roadmap for French diplomacy in the coming months. Macron seems to realize that pissing off half the continent might not be in line with his desire to lead Europe.
He therefore made it clear that European defense is the “pillar” of NATO, not its replacement. He added that U.S. support for Ukraine was to be appreciated. The EU’s eastward expansion must be “as soon as possible”, and the future security guarantee for Ukraine must be “reliable and strong”.
Macron even expressed support for Ukraine’s “pathway” to join NATO at next month’s key summit on the alliance’s future. Although he did not support full membership, it was a shift in tone.
A French official said Macron’s presence at the Globsec meeting was not just about mending ties or “dialogue with Eastern and Central Europe”. Instead, it is “charging the way and proposing a shared vision for Europe’s future”.
In fact, Macron has never lacked foresight. This often sparks outrage in Brussels, Berlin and Washington, but it also helps spark debate to help Europe develop.
An Eastern European minister who has privately criticized Macron in the past welcomed his turnaround. “Macron just needs to give one great speech and he will be the most popular guy in Eastern Europe,” the source said.
This optimism seems a bit premature. Shahin Vallée, a former adviser to Macron who now works at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said a lot would depend on the actions of the EU enlargement and the next phase of support for Ukraine. “The president knows he needs to launch a charm offensive,” Valle said. “But now he has to follow suit.”