French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday cited U.S. President Donald Trump’s risk to make Canada the “51st state” for example of American international coverage that’s sacrificing allies for “the regulation of the strongest.”
Macron’s blunt remarks had been matched by comparable feedback from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a separate speech that confirmed European leaders’ rising concern as Trump seeks to impose U.S. dominance over the Western Hemisphere, together with actions in Venezuela and threats of a possible U.S. takeover of Greenland.
In an handle to French ambassadors on the Élysée presidential palace on Thursday, Macron stated, “It’s the best dysfunction, the regulation of the strongest, and on a regular basis folks wonder if Greenland will likely be invaded, whether or not Canada will likely be beneath the specter of changing into the 51st state (of the USA) or whether or not Taiwan is to be additional circled.”
The USA is “regularly turning away from a few of its allies and releasing itself from the worldwide guidelines,” Macron stated.
The feedback look like the primary time Macron has instantly addressed Trump’s threats towards Canada’s sovereignty, which the U.S. president has not raised for a number of weeks after repeatedly making the assertions final 12 months.
Nonetheless, Canada’s former United Nations ambassador, Bob Rae, and different consultants have warned Trump’s latest behaviour suggests Canada is “on the menu” for his plans within the hemisphere when taken alongside the “51st state” rhetoric.
Macron’s speech referenced latest U.S. actions, together with the seize of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro final weekend, and Trump’s total nationwide safety technique that envisions America as a hemispheric superpower.
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The remarks additionally come amid rising concern about Trump’s plans for Greenland. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is ready to fulfill with Danish officers subsequent week.
Macron joined Prime Minister Mark Carney and different European leaders Tuesday in defending Greenland’s sovereignty within the wake of Trump’s feedback about how the U.S. “want(s)” the self-governing Danish territory, which is a part of the NATO army alliance.
The Prime Minister’s Workplace on Thursday stated Carney spoke to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about “their shared help for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark, together with Greenland, which should be revered in accordance with worldwide regulation.”
“Prime Minister Carney reaffirmed that the way forward for Greenland is for Greenland and Denmark to find out,” a readout of the dialog stated. The 2 leaders additionally mentioned Ukraine and efforts to strengthen Arctic and “Euro-Atlantic safety.”
World should not develop into ‘den of robbers,’ German president warns
Individually, Steinmeier stated in remarks at a symposium in Germany late on Wednesday that Trump’s actions and feedback present world democracy is being attacked as by no means earlier than.
Describing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a watershed, Steinmeier stated the behaviour of the USA represented a second historic rupture.
“Then there’s the breakdown of values by our most vital associate, the USA, which helped construct this world order,” he stated.
“It’s about stopping the world from turning right into a den of robbers, the place essentially the most unscrupulous take no matter they need, the place areas or complete international locations are handled because the property of some nice powers,” he stated.
Though the German president’s function is basically ceremonial, his phrases carry some weight and he has extra freedom to specific views than politicians.
The remarks from Macron and Steinmeier are an escalation from European leaders’ rapid response to Maduro’s seize, which referred to as for all events to respect worldwide regulation with out criticizing the U.S. instantly.
Consultants beforehand instructed World Information that world leaders had been seemingly hoping to not anger a “risky White Home” amid ongoing commerce and safety negotiations.
On Thursday, a ballot for public broadcaster ARD indicated 76 per cent of Germans surveyed now felt the USA was not a associate that Germany might depend on, a rise of three share factors since June 2025.
Solely 15 per cent felt Germany might now belief the USA, the bottom degree recorded within the common survey of attitudes.
Against this, roughly three-quarters felt they may depend on France and Britain.
The survey discovered 69 per cent of Germans involved about safety in Europe, about the identical quantity that thought NATO companions couldn’t depend on the safety of the USA, the strongest member of the alliance.
—with recordsdata from the Related Press and Reuters
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