Emmanuel Macron warns Europe not to have any illusions about relations with the US and calls the strategy “not working”: “We tried it for months”

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Europe should prepare for further confrontations with the United States and treat the recent “Greenland moment” as a wake-up call to push through long-delayed economic reforms and strengthen the European bloc's global power.

In interviews published in several European newspapers, Macron said Europe should not mistake a lull in tensions with Washington for lasting change, despite the apparent end to the Greenland and trade disputes.

President Donald Trump ruled out the use of force to gain control of Greenland for the first time in his speech last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He also later dropped his threat to impose punitive tariffs against European countries he accused of opposing the US acquiring the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

“At the end of the peak of the crisis, there was a faint sense of relief. Just like in the summer of 2025, after the EU and the US signed the tariff agreement. There were threats and intimidation. Then, suddenly, Washington backed down. And people thought it was all over. But don't believe that for a second. Every day there are threats related to the pharmaceutical sector, to digital technology…” Emmanuel Macron said now.

“When there is a clear act of aggression, I think what we should do is not bow our heads or try to reach an agreement. I think we have tried this strategy for months. It is not working,” the French leader told several publications, including Le Monde and the Financial Times.

Macron, tough message on relations between Europe and the US

Macron said the Trump administration is “openly anti-European” and aims to “disintegrate” the European Union.

“The United States will attack us in the coming months – that's for sure – on digital regulation,” Macron added, warning of possible import duties imposed by Trump if the EU uses the Digital Services Act (DSA) to regulate the activities in Europe of major US tech companies such as Meta or Amazon.

The French leader also renewed his call for new forms of joint borrowing such as Eurobonds, arguing that they would allow the EU to invest on a large scale and “address the hegemony of the US dollar”.

“Today, Europe faces a huge challenge in a world thrown into disarray. Climate change is accelerating. The United States, once thought to guarantee our security forever, now raises questions. Russia, which was supposed to provide cheap energy indefinitely, stopped doing so three years ago. And China, which was for many an export market, has become an increasingly formidable competitor,” he said. the leader from the Elysee Palace also stated.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday for a summit to discuss measures to strengthen the bloc's economy and make it better able to take on the United States and China on the global stage.