Macron: "US Cannot Wage Trade War with Europe and China Simultaneously... Priority Will Be China"

Macron: "Trump's Top Economic Priority Is Tariffs on China"
War in Ukraine Could End Within Weeks
Differences with Trump over Support for Ukraine War

French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 24th (local time), said regarding the U.S. plan to impose reciprocal tariffs, "The United States cannot wage a trade war with China and Europe at the same time." The two countries showed differences over the issue of Ukraine's sovereignty and reaffirmed their differing positions on the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire.

Reuters Yonhap News

President Macron stated this during a Fox News interview following the summit with President Trump, saying, "I hope I was able to persuade President Trump on trade and tariff issues." President Trump decided earlier this month to impose a 10% tariff on China and 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, and also announced plans to impose tariffs on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and lumber.

Regarding President Trump's economic priorities, Macron said, "As I understand it, it is tariffs on China," adding, "Our (U.S. and European) economies are fully interconnected." President Trump imposed an additional 10% tariff on China on the 4th of this month.

Earlier, at a joint press conference held after the summit, President Macron also emphasized the close economic ties between the U.S. and Europe, stating, "We sincerely want to work towards fair competition where trade between our two countries flows smoothly and more investment is made."

President Macron reiterated the need for increased European defense spending. In the Fox News interview following the summit, he mentioned the necessity of raising Europe's defense budget, saying, "This is not because the United States demands it," but "because Russia still poses a threat." He also announced that the European Union (EU) would make a special announcement related to strengthening European security.

When asked whether the war in Ukraine could end within weeks, he said, "I hope so and believe it is possible," adding, "We need to move quickly, but a ceasefire that can be assessed and verified and a complete negotiation are needed first."

He continued, "President Trump's initiative is positive, but my message is that we must be cautious," adding, "We need something substantial for Ukraine."

President Macron repeatedly used words like "dear Donald," "friendship," and "shared agenda" when referring to President Trump that day, but he frankly expressed his own views on the Ukraine war.

At the joint press conference held before the U.S.-France summit, President Macron emphasized, "This peace should not mean Ukraine's surrender," and "It should not mean a ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukraine's sovereignty."

Unlike President Macron, who emphasized Ukraine's sovereignty, President Trump did not specifically mention Ukraine's sovereignty or guarantees. He also refused to call President Vladimir Putin a dictator and stated that the U.S. has spent three times more money on the war than Europe.

The New York Times (NYT) reported that President Macron, who was cautious not to provoke President Trump, clearly stated that Russia, not Ukraine, is responsible for the war and corrected the president's claims about European support.

The two leaders also had different interpretations regarding financial support for Ukraine. President Trump explained the justification for securing Ukraine's mineral resources in return for the amount the U.S. has supported Ukraine so far, saying, "Europe is lending money to Ukraine. Europe gets the money back."

In response, President Macron grabbed President Trump's arm and corrected him, saying, "No. Actually, to be honest, we paid. We paid 60% of the entire (support) effort. Our support, like the U.S., consists of loans, guarantees, and grants." According to the NYT, President Trump smiled and made a skeptical expression at Macron's explanation, shaking his hand as if he did not believe it.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.