French President Emmanuel Macron says Europe’s freedom is under its greatest threat since 1945

French President Emmanuel Macron says Europe’s freedom is under its greatest threat since 1945

President Emmanuel Macron has declared Europe’s freedom to be under its greatest threat since 1945 in a speech condemning Russia and terrorists.

The French leader yesterday announced 6.5 billion euros (5.6 billion pounds) worth of extra military spending for the next two years.

Citing ‘new and unprecedented threats’ in his traditional speech to the military on the eve of the Bastille Day national holiday, Mr Macron proclaimed: ‘Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously.’

He added: ‘We are experiencing a return to the fact of a nuclear threat, and a proliferation of major conflicts.

‘To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful.’

The president laid out his spending plans as he called for intensified efforts to protect Europe and support Ukraine against Russia.

He said France would aim to dish out 64 billion euros (55 billion pounds) in annual defence spending in 2027, the last year of his second term.

This would amount to double the 32 billion euros in annual spending when he became president in 2017.

Mr Macron cited’new and unprecedented threats’ in his traditional speech to the military on the eve of the Bastille Day national holiday

France’s Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and France’s President Emmanuel Macron share a laugh at the end of an address by the President Macron to army leaders yesterday

Members of the French military listen to the French President Emmanuel Macron’s address to army leaders

Mr Macron insisted France could find the money to spend more on the military even as the country tried to bring down massive national debts.

It comes as right-leaning parties have supported greater defence spending while left-wing parties accuse the government of sacrificing social welfare benefits in exchange.

Mr Macron concluded Europe is in danger because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and wars in the Middle East, and because ‘the United States has added a form of uncertainty’.

Other dangers mentioned included online disinformation campaigns by unnamed foreign governments and propaganda operations targeting children, in ‘the screen era.’

Mr Macron also ordered France’s top military and defence officials to start a ‘strategic dialogue’ with European partners about the role that the French nuclear arsenal could play in protecting Europe.

In an exceptional move, France and Britain have agreed in recent days to cooperate on nuclear defense issues.

Mr Macron’s speech came as U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement about Russia on Monday, and the head of NATO is travelling to Washington for two days of talks.

Mr Trump last week announced plans to sell NATO allies weaponry they can then pass on to Ukraine, which has been struggling to repel massive and complex Russian air assaults.

Mr Putin argues the Ukraine conflict is a consequence of Western countries’ decision to ignore Russia’s security interests (file image)

The French President recently spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in three years, but remains a target of widespread criticism in Russia for his vocal support for Ukraine.

Mr Putin argues the Ukraine conflict is a consequence of Western countries’ decision to ignore Russia’s security interests.

The head of the French military, Gen. Thierry Burkhard, laid out risks emanating from Russia that stretch beyond Ukraine.

Russia is disrupting trajectories of satellites to jam them or spy on them, is involved in undersea infrastructure sabotage, and leads disinformation campaigns in France and Africa, Mr Burkhard said on Friday.

He added Russian attack submarines penetrate into the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and Russian military planes interact frequently with other aircraft over the Black Sea, Syria, the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic.

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, in an interview published Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche, urged more French spending on defense technology and better training of engineers and technicians.

He said: ‘Big powers and certain proliferating countries are working secretly on quantum computers … that will be capable tomorrow of revolutionizing the battlefield. Do we want to stay in the game?’