French President: U.S. Is Abandoning Allies and International Order
Macron says Washington’s actions reflect neo-colonial aggression and a retreat from global rules
PARIS | PUREWILAYAH.COM — French President Emmanuel Macron has accused the United States of turning its back on its allies and steadily abandoning the international rules-based order, following Washington’s military raid on Venezuela and renewed threats to annex Greenland.
Speaking on Thursday during his annual address to French ambassadors, Macron said the global system is increasingly being reshaped by major powers seeking to divide the world through force and coercion, warning that U.S. behavior now reflects a dangerous departure from the norms it once promoted.
His remarks came just days after U.S. forces carried out airstrikes on Venezuela’s capital Caracas and other regions, abducting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in what has been widely condemned as a blatant act of state aggression.
Washington Retreats From Rules It Once Enforced
“The United States is an established power,” Macron said, “but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from international rules that it was still promoting not so long ago.”
He stressed that this retreat is evident across multiple domains, including trade and security, marking a fundamental shift in Washington’s posture toward both allies and international law.
Macron warned that the world is entering an era of intensified great-power rivalry, driven by “a real temptation to divide up the world among them,” a dynamic he said threatens sovereignty and global stability.
Greenland Threats Escalate Tensions Inside NATO
Macron’s comments also followed renewed statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who reiterated that a military option remains on the table regarding Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Trump claimed the island could fall under Chinese or Russian influence if Washington does not intervene.
Trump has repeatedly pushed for U.S. ownership of Greenland since his first term, framing the issue as a matter of Arctic security. His remarks have sharply escalated tensions within NATO and among European allies.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned earlier this week that any U.S. annexation of Greenland would effectively signal the end of NATO. Leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom later issued a joint statement affirming that Greenland “belongs to its people.”
Europe Faces ‘Neo-Colonial Aggression’
Macron described the current moment as one in which France and the European Union are facing “neo-colonial aggression,” while simultaneously being subjected to what he called hollow anti-colonial rhetoric that no longer matches political reality.
Trump, for his part, said on Friday that he would prefer to take the “easy way” regarding Greenland, suggesting financial compensation for Greenlanders, while making clear that Washington would “do it the hard way” if necessary.
The French president’s remarks underscore a widening transatlantic rift, as European leaders increasingly view U.S. actions not as collective defense, but as unilateral power projection that undermines sovereignty, alliances, and international law. (PW)