After the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Biden and Macron evoked other battlefields: those of Kharkiv and Gaza, “black holes” that endanger world peace. The American president, unexpectedly invited by Macron, moved from Omaha Beach to Paris, where all the glories of the République were displayed in his honor: ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, car parade along the Champs-Elysées escorted by 38 motorcyclists and 140 men of the Garde Réplicaine on horseback, a working lunch followed by a joint press conference, finally a gala dinner in the halls of the Elysée with festive flags. “Today we are closer than ever, there is an unbreakable relationship between the United States and France, a beacon of democracy”, commented Biden (who this time did not confuse Macron with Mitterrand).
The American president declared that “Putin will not stop at Ukraine: all of Europe is threatened and we will not allow this to happen.” He reiterated that the USA will remain “strongly at Ukraine’s side”, he added that he was sorry for the delay in sending aid to Kiev, then he congratulated France and the European allies “for the work done in harmony with Washington’s positions. We must remain united with the Ukrainian people who fight against Putin’s brutal aggression”, he concluded. Macron in turn thanked Biden for the commitment shown by the United States: “This conflict puts the security and stability of our Europe at risk. Our position is identical, that of respecting international law and the freedom of peoples to dispose of of themselves”.
However, substantial differences exist between Paris and Washington on how to manage the conflict. After the initial intransigence, the US has adopted a more cautious attitude, in particular with regard to Ukraine’s rapid entry into NATO and the sending of Western soldiers to support Zelensky’s army: two factors that could provoke a very dangerous escalation . Macron, who intends to seize the opportunity to present himself as leader of Europe, is instead using increasingly harsh tones towards Moscow and announces that he wants to send military instructors to Ukraine. His goal is to accelerate the creation of a solid European defense – indispensable in his opinion with a view to Trump’s eventual arrival in the White House – and to give life to closer cooperation between the EU and NATO.
The topics addressed yesterday constitute a preamble to the G7 discussions which will be held next week in Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, to the subsequent Peace Conference in Switzerland and above all to the NATO summit on 9 and 10 July in Washington. Even on the other highly topical dossier – Israel’s offensive against Hamas – there are different positions: France has clearly distanced itself from the way in which the Israeli army moves.
Yesterday, during the press conference alongside Biden, Macron congratulated the Israeli operation which led to the release of the four hostages held by Hamas, but also reiterated that Israel must encourage the sending of humanitarian aid to Gaza, rather than bombings and raids against the civilian population. One thing is clear: thanks to the presence of the American president in France, Macron – who is declining in support – hopes to recover in the European elections.
