Emmanuel Macron addresses the French this Wednesday, March 5 at 8 p.m., to talk about the situation in Ukraine. He should indicate how to mobilize billions of euros for European defense.
Emmanuel Macron will hold a solemn speech this Wednesday, March 5 this evening at 8 p.m. The Head of State indicated on his social networks, through a very succinct message this morning, that he would make a speech to talk about Ukraine and the international situation. “My dear compatriots, in this moment of great uncertainty when the world is faced with its greatest challenges, I will address you,” he simply wrote.
The President of the Republic has repeatedly hammered that the election of Donald Trump, then the way of the American president to put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the will of the United States to disengage militarily from Europe constituted a major upheaval. Emmanuel Macron has retained a direct link with the American president, he had the opportunity to warn him about the Russian influence in late February at the White House. But the altercation of Donald Trump with the Ukrainian president and the propensity of the American administration to take up the elements of language of Moscow to describe the war in Ukraine demonstrate that the exchanges between Paris and Washington are hitherto not fruitful.
Last night, the French head of state welcomed the will of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky “to re-engage dialogue with the United States” and reiterated “the determination of France to work with all stakeholders in the implementation of a solid and lasting peace in Ukraine”. Emmanuel Macron knows that Donald Trump is wronging reality by moderating Russia’s responsibility in this war, he also knows that the alliance between Europe and the United States is very weakened. But he plans to act so that Washington is on the side of Europe at the negotiating table. He must explain this point this evening.
The French president must also speak frankly to the French of the need, according to him, to invest considerably more in our military industry. The European Commission has already unveiled a plan to “rearmer Europe” on Tuesday evening, the aim of which is to mobilize nearly 800 billion euros in order to strengthen the defense of Europe and provide “immediate” aid to Ukraine to overcome the financial withdrawal of American aid.
The European Commission “encourages” until then the States to spend more on their defense, and for this desire a derogation from the budgetary rules which oblige them to limit their public deficit to 3% of their GDP.
Emmanuel Macron has already indicated that France should increase the 2% to 3.5% of the armies of the GDP or even more. This means that France will have to identify an envelope of 40 to 50 billion euros each year, at least. The president has already prepared the spirits for the need for “budgetary adjustments”: it is not excluded that new taxes are necessary to finance this new military effort. Emmanuel Macron has also already mentioned the possibility of creating a new regulated booklet, on the model of booklet A, to guide the savings of the French to defense companies. In addition, the president also, on February 20, encouraged the French to think of joining the military reserve. He had announced on January 20 an upcoming project to “mobilize” more young volunteers “in reinforcement of armies” if necessary, in the face of an “acceleration of perils” since the war in Ukraine.