Speaking during a visit to Portugal, Macron stressed the need for Europeans to "rediscover their taste for risk, ambition and power" in the face of Trump's unpredictability on both Ukraine and tariffs.
"I see many people in our Europe who say we must be nice to the Americans, it will pass, we must bend our backs," Macron said, adding that "the answer is not submission" and that he is "not in favor of happy vassalage."
Europeans must make "very profound choices on technological, industrial and defense issues" and "must be united and stronger than ever."
Macron also emphasized the importance of Ukraine for Europe and its "existential struggle for sovereignty."
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer coordinated their actions to influence Trump’s plan to end the war and deliver a unified message during their visits to Washington this week, urging Trump to abandon bilateral peace talks with Russia and support European commitments to guarantee Ukraine's security in the future.
On Feb. 27, Starmer presented Trump with an Anglo-French plan to deploy some 30,000 European peacekeepers to Ukraine during his visit to the US.
Eighteen European leaders will meet in London on March 2 to discuss defense and a “strong” peace deal for Ukraine, following this week's visits to Washington by Macron, Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.