'The United States of America is our ally and it will continue to be, but being its ally does not mean being a vassal state, we must not depend on them,' he said Wednesday, according to Sputnik.
Since late last month, the French president has been pushing for a more independent European path, portraying US policy as being unstable and incongruent with the best policy for Europeans, especially in terms of defense.
'We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America,' Macron said on Europe 1 radio last week. 'When I see President Trump announcing that he's quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security,' he continued, referring to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which banned a type of nuclear weapon and from which Trump threatened to withdraw.
The spat with Trump deepened over the weekend during the commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I, with Trump and Macron exchanging heated words over social media.
'Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia,' Trump tweeted on Monday. 'But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two — How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along. Pay for NATO or not!'
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Tehran, Nov 15, IRNA - French President Emmanuel Macron deepened his stand against US foreign policy in Europe Wednesday, saying that being America's ally 'does not mean being a vassal state.'
