As European leaders gather in Brussels for an emergency European Council summit on Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to secure his legacy as the leader of Europe by proposing the extension of France’s nuclear arsenal to its continental allies. As the United States reorganizes its security strategy—focusing more on threats closer to its borders while simultaneously pushing for a peace agreement in Ukraine—, the European Union finds itself increasingly isolated with its ever-hardening pro-war stance. While Macron may envision himself in future history books remembered for saving the free world, his address to the nation on Wednesday evening carries the risk of significant escalation and could undermine the fragile peace negotiations that began in February between the US and Russia.
Shortly before meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Paris, Macron delivered a televised address to the French people, focusing on the rapidly shifting international order and Europe’s entry into a new era—after Washington, under the leadership of Donald Trump, wants to secure peace between Russia and Ukraine. ‘The United States, our ally, has changed its position on this war, is less supportive of Ukraine, and is casting doubt on what will happen next,’ Macron said, adding: ‘I want to believe that the United States will remain by our side, but we need to be ready if that were not the case.’
Macron also addressed European security guarantees for Kyiv—an issue on which Ukraine has insisted as a precondition for accepting any agreement. Trump has pushed for a deal allowing joint extraction of Ukraine’s vast natural resources, including critical rare earth minerals, as a means to offset the military and financial aid Washington has provided to Kyiv over the past three years. While the draft agreement omits explicit security guarantees, the White House maintains that American economic interests and investments in Ukraine are, in themselves, the strongest possible security assurances. The deal was scheduled for signing last Friday; however, a heated exchange during a press conference in the Oval Office between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance has left its future uncertain.
Macron suggested that a lasting peace agreement could involve the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine. However, even among Ukraine’s staunchest European supporters, divisions remain over the prospect of deploying actual troops on the ground.
EU leaders are set to meet on Thursday to discuss continued support for Ukraine and the expansion of the bloc’s defence capabilities, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen having unveiled an 800 billion euro rearmament plan on Tuesday. After three years of mimicking US policy on Ukraine, Brussels now appears to be taking the opposite approach—doubling down on military support while Washington works towards a peace settlement. The majority of EU member states, led by France, Germany, Poland, and the Baltic nations, have adopted an increasingly aggressive pro-war stance and are now seeking to translate their rhetoric into concrete action at today’s summit.
‘EU member states have adopted an increasingly aggressive pro-war stance and are now seeking to translate their rhetoric into concrete action’
Orbán, who has been the lone voice in the EU advocating for peace from the outset, wrote a letter to European Council President António Costa urging the bloc to follow the US’s example and engage in direct negotiations with Russia. He further recommended removing Ukraine from the summit’s draft conclusions to ensure unanimity, arguing that the deep strategic divisions among member states cannot be resolved through mere diplomatic statements. Slovakia shares Hungary’s position, making unanimous agreement at the summit almost impossible. Such an outcome would lay bare the EU’s internal fractures—an image Brussels and pro-war capitals are desperate to avoid. Macron’s speech last night could be seen as an attempt to prevent this embarrassing scenario.
The French president also announced that Paris is considering extending its nuclear umbrella to its European allies, stressing that France’s nuclear capabilities are comprehensive, sovereign, and ‘protect us much more than many of our neighbours’—a clear reference to the United States.
‘Paris is considering extending its nuclear umbrella to its European allies’
Reacting to Macron’s speech, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the French president’s statements suggest an intent to prolong the war and that his nuclear rhetoric constitutes a direct threat to Russia. Lavrov stated: ‘If he considers us a threat, convenes a meeting of European and British military chiefs, speaks of the need to use nuclear weapons, and prepares for their use against Russia, then this is, of course, a threat.’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly described the speech as ‘extremely confrontational’ and said it ‘can hardly be perceived as the words of a leader who is thinking about peace.’
Following Macron’s remarks, political director to the Hungarian prime minister Balázs Orbán shared a lengthy post on X reiterating and clarifying Budapest’s position on Ukraine. ‘Europe is marching itself off a cliff. Hungary must avoid marching with them,’ he warned. Orbán also highlighted that the EU’s leadership has left the bloc increasingly isolated by pursuing a reckless foreign policy—one that has severed energy ties with Russia, launched a trade war with China, and now risks an ideological confrontation with the United States.
‘The United States has recognised reality—now it is time for Europe to change its strategy as well. Peace should be the top priority of every European politician, for the sake of Ukraine and for the sake of Europe,’ Orbán concluded.
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