Macron’s proposal for EU army ‘very insulting’ – Trump

French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion for a joint
European army is “very insulting,” Donald Trump said Friday on
arriving in Paris for ceremonies to mark the end of World War
1.

“President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build
its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and
Russia,” the US president tweeted as his plane landed in the French
capital.

“Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair
share of NATO, which the US subsidizes greatly!,” he added.

Trump, who is visiting France with his wife Melania for the
second time since becoming president, was referring to a call made
by Macron on Tuesday for a “real European army”.

Macron, an ardent advocate of closer European integration, said
a joint European Union military force was needed to wean Europe off
American might, not least after US President Donald Trump announced
he was pulling out of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty.

“We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and
even the United States,” he told France’s Europe 1 radio.

He is specifically pushing for the creation of a nine-country
European force, independent from NATO, that could rapidly mount a
joint military operation, evacuate civilians from a war zone, or
provide aid after a natural disaster.

Trump’s reaction is likely to add to strains in transatlantic
relations, which will be under the spotlight this weekend as 70
world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
Russia’s Vladimir Putin, gather in Paris to mark the centenary of
the end of World War 1.