Macron invokes the three presidents who “resolutely oppose the Europeans”. “It's time to take decisive action”

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, in Athens, that Europe is experiencing “a unique moment” in which “an American president, a Russian president and a Chinese president are firmly opposed to the Europeans”, reports AFP, taken over by Agerpres.

“This is the right moment for us to take decisive action,” the French president added, speaking in English during a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Roman Agora in the historic center of the Greek capital.

Although he appeared to put Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in the same category of opponents of the old continent, he also emphasized that the US president is still an ally, even if he is not always “reliable” or “predictable”.

“This moment could be the European moment,” Macron insisted, reiterating, as he has done since the beginning of the year, that the European Union is, by contrast, “reliable” and “predictable.” “We must not underestimate this,” reiterated the French head of state who is on a two-day visit to Greece.

In his opinion, “the challenge for us is to become a real power”, given that the combined defense, trade and financial services of the countries of the European Union are already significant enough to be comparable to those of the United States and China.

Returning to the concept of European sovereignty that he had begun to defend during his first visit to Athens, in a speech delivered in September 2017, Emmanuel Macron also pleaded for the strengthening of NATO's European pillar.

“There are now doubts about Article 5,” the promise of mutual support at the heart of the US-EU military alliance, because of its questioning by Donald Trump, he pointed out.

This “de facto weakens the Alliance,” he said, while maintaining that it remains a “good strategic alliance.”