Emmanuel Macron

Committed several thousand French troops to Ukraine military hubs post-ceasefire

Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators began their first trilateral talks in nine months in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and returned for a second day on Nov. 11. The first day covered humanitarian steps, prisoner exchanges and security guarantees, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it "very productive."

Updated 7 hours ago

Deploying French naval escort mission to Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices have fallen sharply. Brent touched $89.65 on November 10, its lowest since August 31, and traded near $92, about 23% below the October 30 peak near $118. President Trump said he would hold off on further strikes on Iran after appeals from regional countries, while keeping the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Updated Yesterday

Hosted Trump at the Palace of Versailles on June 17 as Trump physically signed the Islamabad Declaration MOU; posted on X that the agreement 'paves the way for lasting peace'

Iran said two oil tankers hit mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on November 8. A third vessel also burned, bringing the number of ships hit since the start of November to at least 12. The US military disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard later disabled navigation systems on four tankers using a route it considers unauthorized. Ship tracking put Hormuz traffic at about 5% of pre-war levels on November 10.

Updated Yesterday

Nearing the end of his second term, barred from running again

France will raise its minimum wage by 1.6% on December 1, moving up a planned January increase after more than six weeks of student-led protests over the cost of living.

Updated 2 days ago

Held emergency talks with prime minister and ministers; government under pressure ahead of presidential elections

France's school protest movement widened into a national labor dispute in early November. A Nov. 5 general strike drew more than 600,000 marchers, the AP reported; the CGT claimed nearly 1.6 million, and the Interior Ministry counted 146,000 at Nov. 7 protests.

Updated 2 days ago

Secured the October 2026 interim deal after threatening tariffs; with Chancellor Merz, pressing for a new EU tool against market distortions and, on October 16, agreed a car-rules bargain with Berlin

In October 2026, the EU and China defused the trade war that Emmanuel Macron threatened in December 2025. The interim deal caps Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid car exports to Europe at 350,000 a year for four years. China, in turn, will cut tariffs on €4 billion of European goods from January 2027 and fast-track rare-earth export licences for EU buyers.

Updated Nov 2

Opposes the agreement

Negotiations between the EU and Mercosur began in 1999. Twenty-six years later, on January 17, 2026, representatives signed a comprehensive free trade agreement in Asunción, Paraguay—the same city where Mercosur itself was founded in 1991. The deal eliminates tariffs on more than 90% of bilateral trade and creates the world's largest free trade zone, covering over 700 million consumers and roughly a quarter of global GDP.

Updated Oct 23

Leading European resistance to U.S. Greenland demands at Davos

The United States has operated military bases in Greenland since 1941, under agreements with Denmark. On January 15, 2026, NATO allies deployed troops to the island to counter U.S. pressure after American-Danish talks collapsed. On January 17, President Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The tariffs will rise to 25% by June unless 'a deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.' On January 20, Trump declared on Truth Social that 'there can be no going back' on Greenland, calling it 'imperative for National and World Security.' That same day, Denmark deployed its Army Chief, General Peter Boysen, alongside 58 additional troops to Greenland, bringing total Danish military presence to approximately 178 personnel for Operation Arctic Endurance.

Updated Oct 23

As of September 2026: Announced French military deployment to protect Yanbu

France will send troops, radar systems, and air-defense equipment to protect Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea oil export terminal, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday. Saudi Arabia is also lining up support from Pakistan and Turkey under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, and the UN Security Council on Friday affirmed Riyadh's right to self-defense.

Updated Sep 26

As of July 2026: Coordinating France's response and its request for EU aid

Record heat has pushed more than 267,000 people out of their homes in Spain and France. Fires are still burning across six countries, and the European Union has staged its largest shared firefighting force ever to fight them.

Updated Jul 26

As of July 2026: Host of the Paris summit

A single Patriot interceptor costs about $3.8 million, and the US makes only so many each year. On July 14, 2026, Ukraine and nine European countries agreed to build their own, cheaper alternative and share the factories that make them.

Updated Jul 14

As of July 2026: Ordered boarding of a suspected shadow-fleet tanker

For most of two years, drones kept appearing over European airports and military bases. Flights stopped. Fighter jets scrambled. Nobody could prove who sent them. On July 2, 2026, a London defense think tank said it now can: Russia, launching many of the drones from tankers in its covert 'shadow fleet.'

Updated Jul 2

As of May 2026: Architect of France's Indo-Pacific strategy

For decades, security in the western Pacific ran through Washington. Countries struck bilateral deals with the United States and, mostly, with no one else. That model is dissolving. On March 27, the Philippines and France signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in Paris. It's the Philippines' first such pact with a European partner. The agreement gives each country's troops a legal basis to train and operate on the other's soil. France now joins the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Canada on a growing list of nations with military access arrangements in the Philippines. Four of these were signed in under two years.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Co-leading coalition with UK; France's Catherine Vautrin to co-chair first 40-nation defence ministers' meeting alongside UK's John Healey

Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026, after US-Israeli strikes, cutting off roughly a fifth of global oil supply. The US-Iran ceasefire, extended by Trump on April 21, holds formally. But Iran's May 10 counter-proposal demanded Iranian sovereignty over the strait, an end to all US sanctions, and an immediate lifting of the naval blockade. Trump called the response "totally unacceptable," and roughly 1,500 commercial vessels remain trapped inside the Persian Gulf.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Criticizing US strikes but France part of E3 backing defensive measures

For 23 days since February 28, 2026, the US and Israel have conducted bombing campaigns against Iran under Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, prompting Iranian retaliation against US bases and NATO sites including French bases in Abu Dhabi, RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and a missile over Turkey. France authorized US support aircraft at Istres on March 5 with strict limits, but on March 16 European NATO allies rejected President Trump's demands for military assistance to reopen the Iranian-blocked Strait of Hormuz—Trump called the rejection a 'very foolish mistake' and declared the US needs no one's help.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: On three-day visit to India during dialogue

India has depended on Russia for weapons since the Cold War. That dependence peaked at 76% of arms imports in 2009-2013 but has now fallen to 36%—while France has surged to become India's second-largest supplier, accounting for 33% of defense purchases. On February 17, 2026, the two countries signed an agreement to jointly manufacture HAMMER precision-guided missiles in India.

Updated May 29

As of May 2026: Fourth state visit to India; leading major defense sales push

For decades, India's aerospace manufacturing remained almost entirely in government hands. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the state-owned monopoly established in 1940, built every military aircraft and helicopter on Indian soil.

Updated May 29

As of May 2026: Called for European strategic autonomy at Munich

For six decades, the Munich Security Conference is the West's main annual defense gathering. On February 15, 2026, the 62nd edition closed with NATO allies announcing military commitments—including Britain's Operation Firecrest Arctic carrier deployment—as tensions with Washington and Trump's April China visit loom.

Updated May 29

As of May 2026: Defended multilateralism; criticized Trump policies

This year's World Economic Forum (the first in 55 years without founder Klaus Schwab) became an emergency diplomatic summit when Trump's tariff threats over Greenland drew record attendance from 60+ heads of state. By week's end, a NATO 'framework deal' had defused the immediate crisis, and Canadian PM Mark Carney declared to applause from European and middle-power leaders that the U.S.-led rules-based order is over.

Updated May 22

As of May 2026: Pushing EU to activate Anti-Coercion Instrument against US tariffs

For 55 years, the World Economic Forum at Davos was neutral ground where adversaries brokered deals. This year, 65 heads of state and nearly 3,000 leaders arrived just 48 hours after Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European allies. The tariffs escalate to 25% by June unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland.

Updated May 22

As of May 2026: Leading European security response to US retrenchment

For nearly three years after Russia's 2022 invasion, Ukraine relied on American satellites and signals intelligence for roughly 75-80% of its battlefield awareness, but in ten months France claims to have replaced most of that. President Macron announced on January 15, 2026, that France now provides two-thirds of Ukraine's intelligence—a restructuring forced by Washington's March 2025 decision to suspend most intelligence sharing as leverage in peace negotiations. Yet Macron's assertion contradicts Ukraine's own intelligence officials: the former GUR chief stated in December 2025 that the US remained the key provider, and concerns about US intelligence leaks to Moscow have reportedly chilled Kyiv's information sharing with Washington.

Updated May 21

As of May 2026: Advocating strong European security guarantees and wary of U.S. concessions to Russia

In early 2025, Trump launched an aggressive push to "end the war" in Ukraine. He tied resumed military aid and intelligence sharing to Kyiv's acceptance of a U.S.-drafted peace framework that includes territorial concessions to Russia and long-term limits on Ukraine's sovereignty.

Updated May 10

As of May 2026: Repositioning France’s Africa policy from large Sahel deployments to lighter, demand‑driven security partnerships, including with Nigeria

Since March 2025, jihadist attacks, mass kidnappings, and farmer-herder violence have swept across northern and central Nigeria. A February 4, 2026, jihadist massacre in Kwara State alone killed over 160 people. Major incidents include a US-Nigeria airstrike on December 25, 2025, targeting Islamic State militants; Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks killing dozens of soldiers in January 2026; and partial rescues amid ongoing banditry.

Updated May 10