Macron's diplomatic comeback: from France's domestic crisis to reshaping Europe's defense

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is back at the center of global diplomacy, seeking to ease relations with President Donald Trump, championing a Ukraine peace plan alongside his British counterpart, and seeing his longstanding desire to boost European defense turning into reality.

Six months ago, Macron seemed weaker than ever after his call for early legislative elections produced a hung parliament, sparking an unprecedented crisis. Known for his nonstop political activism, Macron shifted his focus to foreign policy, leaving domestic struggles largely to the prime minister.

Now, he appears as the one leader who speaks to Trump several times per week and takes the lead in European support for Ukraine, while positioning himself as the commander-in-chief of the European Union’s only nuclear power.

Key world player

Macron, 47, is one of the few leaders who knew Trump during his first term in office, maintaining despite disagreements a cordial relationship, which both describe as “friendship.”

He was the first European leader to visit Trump since his reelection, seeking to persuade him not to abandon Ukraine in pursuit of a peace deal with Russia.

Macron is also a heavyweight of European politics, and shifting U.S. policies gave momentum to his longstanding views.

Since he was first elected in 2017, Macron has pushed for a stronger, more sovereign Europe. That same year, in a sweeping speech at Sorbonne University, he called for a common European defense policy, with increased military cooperation and joint defense initiatives.

He later lamented the “brain death” of the NATO military alliance, insisting the EU should step up and start acting as a strategic world power.

On Thursday, EU leaders committed to strengthening defenses and freeing up hundreds of billions of euros for security in the wake of Trump’s warnings that they might face the Russian threat alone.

Nuclear power

In a resounding declaration last week, Macron announced he would discuss extending France’s nuclear deterrent to European partners to help protect the continent.

France's nuclear power is inherited from the strategy set by wartime hero Gen. Charles de Gaulle, president from 1958 to 1969, who sought to maintain France’s independence from the U.S. and assert the country's role as a global power. That went through the development of an independent French nuclear arsenal.

Poland and Baltic nations welcomed the proposal.

France's Minister for European affairs Benjamin Haddad praised Macron's efforts, saying they were aimed at ensuring that "in the face of this world upheaval, Europeans are not spectators but players.”

New British and German partners

Some other key players appear to back Macron's approach.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in office for eight months, has sought closer defense cooperation with Europe as part of a “reset” with the EU after years of bitterness over Brexit.

Macron and Starmer are now spearheading a desperate diplomatic drive to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, drawing up a peace plan with Kyiv at its core. That plan includes the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential peace agreement.

Meanwhile, Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said his top priority would be to “strengthen Europe as soon as possible” and gradually move toward “real independence” from the U.S.

Only three days after his victory last month, Merz, who has called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France, traveled to Paris for a working dinner with Macron.

No statement was released after the meeting, but French officials with knowledge of the matter said both men's visions for Europe align. They spoke anonymously because the talks were not to be made public.

Russia’s criticism

Russia’s foreign ministry accused Macron of "demonstrative militarism dictated by the domestic agenda.”

The ministry said that Macron seeks to distract the French public from “worsening socio-economic problems in France and the European Union."

Moscow dismissed Macron’s nuclear deterrent offer as “extremely confrontational,” saying the remarks reflected Paris’ ambitions to “become the nuclear ‘patron’ of all of Europe,” despite the fact that France’s nuclear forces are far smaller than those of the U.S.

Russian President Vladimir Putin drew a comparison with Napoleon, saying that some people “want to return to the times of Napoleon, forgetting how it ended” — a reference to the emperor’s failed invasion of Russia in 1812. Macron responded by calling Putin “an imperialist.”

Reinvigorated at home

Reelected in 2022, Macron last year struggled not to become a lame duck after his call for early legislative elections led to a chaotic situation in parliament, delaying the approval of the state budget and forcing the quick replacement of the prime minister.

However, the French Constitution grants the president some substantial powers over foreign policy, European affairs and defense. Macron has a presidential mandate until 2027 and he has said he won't step down before the end of his term.

Macron's activism on the global stage drew criticism from opposition leaders.

Far-right National Rally party vice president Sébastien Chenu described Macron’s “moody” character as “one of the biggest issues” for French diplomacy. "He offended many people, he often changed his mind,” Chenu said.

The head of the hard-left France Unbowed group at the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, also voiced concerns.

“The situation is too serious and the President of the Republic is too weakened for him to decide on his own," she said. "We don’t just want to be consulted. ... It’s up to the parliament to decide on such serious issues.”

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Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to the story.