Emmanuel Macron gave a speech to the French armed forces in the face of an 'acceleration' of threats which, in his view, requires Europe to 'spend more on defense.'

The return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House is a wake-up call for European Union countries to fix their economies and become more competitive, the EU's senior financial officials said on Monday as Trump was sworn in for a second term.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a New Year speech to the Armed Forces during a visit at the Digital Support and Cyber Command (CATNC) of the French Army in Cesson-Sevigne, near Rennes, France,

Trump has promised to push for peace talks in Ukraine within six months but has criticized Europe's lack of defense spending.

The French President called on Europe to spend more on defence to reduce their reliance on the United States for security.

Donald Trump has criticised the cost of US military assistance to Ukraine and aims to transfer a greater share of responsibility to Europe. View on euronews

French president Emmanuel Macron has called on Europe to “wake up” and spend more on defence, in a speech to the French military as Donald Trump returns to power. Mr Macron referred to expected changes in Washington’s foreign policies especially regarding the war in Ukraine and said this is an “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call”.