PARIS (Realist English). French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Thursday that the United States is “breaking free from international rules” and gradually distancing itself from some of its allies, responding to a series of confrontational moves and statements by the administration of Donald Trump.
Speaking in his annual address to French ambassadors, Macron said multilateral institutions were becoming increasingly ineffective and cautioned that the world was entering an era marked by great-power rivalry and attempts to divide spheres of influence. “We are living in a world of great powers with a real temptation to carve up the world,” he said.
The remarks followed days of heightened concern among U.S. allies over Washington’s rhetoric and actions, including Trump’s renewed insistence that the United States should acquire Greenland, a mineral-rich Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty. Trump has repeatedly described the island as strategically vital to U.S. national security and the White House has declined to rule out the use of military force to secure control.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he would meet Danish officials next week to discuss Washington’s intention to “acquire” Greenland. European leaders, including those of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, have issued a joint statement with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, affirming that Greenland “belongs to its people.”
Macron sought to strike a more measured tone on Denmark’s sovereignty, saying earlier this week that he could not envision a scenario in which the United States would violate Danish territorial integrity. “Greenland is a territory under Danish sovereignty and it will remain so,” he said on the sidelines of a summit of Ukraine’s allies. Frederiksen, however, has warned that a U.S. military move against Greenland would effectively signal the end of NATO.
Tensions were further inflamed after Trump mocked Macron during an address to Republican lawmakers on Wednesday evening. Trump claimed he had previously forced France to agree to sharply higher prescription drug prices by threatening to impose sweeping tariffs on French imports. In the speech, Trump recounted the episode in derisive terms, imitating Macron and portraying the alleged exchange as an example of U.S. leverage over its allies.
The French government has not responded publicly to Trump’s remarks. The comments came against a backdrop of other controversial U.S. decisions, including Washington’s move to suspend participation in dozens of UN agencies and international bodies, the seizure of Venezuela-linked oil tankers, and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on narco-terrorism charges.
Together, the developments have reinforced concerns in European capitals that Washington is embracing a more unilateral and transactional foreign policy, placing additional strain on long-standing alliances and the post-war international order.
