Macron rejects Trump's idea for Putin to mediate Israel-Iran crisis, World News
PARIS/COPENHAGEN — French President Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Greenland to offer his support to the Arctic island, said on Sunday (June 15) that Russia lacked the credibility to mediate the crisis between Israel and Iran as US President Donald Trump has suggested.
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said he was open to Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine and who has resisted Trump's attempts to broker a ceasefire with Kyiv, mediating between Israel and Iran. Macron said he rejected such an idea.
"I do not believe that Russia, which is now engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the UN Charter for several years now, can be a mediator," Macron said.
He also said France did not take part in any of Israel's attacks against Iran.
Macron was visiting Greenland, a self-governing part of Denmark with the right to declare independence that Trump has threatened to take over, ahead of a trip to Canada for the Group of Seven Leaders' summit.
In a press conference alongside Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Macron said the island was threatened by "predatory ambition," and that its situation was a wakeup call for all Europeans.
"Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken," he said, adding that he has spoken with Trump ahead of his trip, and would speak with him about Greenland at the G7. "I think there is a way forward in order to clearly build a better future in co-operation and not in provocation or confrontation."
However, Macron said he ultimately doubted the United States would invade Greenland.
"I don't believe that in the end, the US, which is an ally and a friend, will ever do something aggressive against another ally," he said, adding he believed "the United States of America remains engaged in NATO and our key and historical alliances."
Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island, and has not ruled out force. His vice president, JD Vance, visited a US military base there in March.
Macron is the first foreign leader to visit Greenland since Trump's explicit threats to "get" the island.
According to an IFOP poll for NYC.eu published on Saturday, 77 per cent of French people and 56 per cent of Americans disapprove of an annexation of Greenland by the US and 43 per cent of the French would back using French military power to prevent a US invasion.
Denmark's Frederiksen made several visits to Paris after Trump's threats to seek French and European backing, and has placed orders for French-made surface-to-air missiles, in a shift of focus for Copenhagen.
[[nid:719103]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Seeking unity, G7 meets amid escalating Ukraine, Middle East conflicts
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives before world leaders meet in Kananaskis for the G7 leaders' summit, at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/Pool Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz before the G7 Leaders' Summit, in the Rocky Mountains resort town of Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/Pool France's President Emmanuel Macron arrives before world leaders meet in Kananaskis for the G7 leaders' summit, at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/Pool U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to attend the G7 Leaders' Summit at the Rocky Mountain resort town of Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/Pool A backdrop sign for the G7 Leaders Summit in the Rocky Mountains resort of Kananaskis is seen outside the media center in Banff, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Chris Helgren KANANASKIS, Alberta - Leaders from the Group of Seven nations begin annual talks on Monday amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East that add to global economic uncertainty, as host Canada tries to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump. The G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., along with the European Union, are convening in the resort of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday. But beyond the serene and picturesque mountain setting, they confront challenges. The first five months of Trump's second term upended foreign policy on Ukraine, raised anxiety over his closer ties to Russia and resulted in tariffs on U.S. allies. With an escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which is spiking global oil prices, the summit in Canada is seen as a vital moment to try and restore a semblance of unity between democratic powerhouses. "The most important goal will be for the world's seven largest industrial nations to reach agreement and take action," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said before attending his first G7. That will not be easy. After years of consensus, the traditional allies have scrambled to keep Trump engaged and maintain unity. Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt an all-encompassing comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of a 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the U.S. delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving. Instead, Ottawa has sought to get consensus for a chair's statement that summarizes the key discussions and six other pre-negotiated declarations on issues such as migration, artificial intelligence and forest fires. Talks on Monday will centre around the economy, advancing trade deals, and China. Efforts to reach an agreement to lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if Trump decided to opt out have been complicated by the surge in oil prices since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 12, two diplomatic sources said. The escalation between the two regional foes is on the agenda, with diplomatic sources saying they hope to achieve at least a joint statement to urge restraint and a return to diplomacy. "We are united. Nobody wants to see Iran get a nuclear weapon and everyone wants discussions and negotiations to restart," France's President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Greenland on Sunday before travelling to Canada. He added that given Israel's dependence on U.S. weapons and munitions, Washington had the capacity to restart negotiations. Trump said on Sunday many calls and meetings were taking place to broker peace. RUSSIAN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Highlighting the unease among some of Washington's allies, Trump spoke on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested the Russian leader could play a mediation role. Macron dismissed the idea, arguing that Moscow could not be a negotiator because it had started an illegal war against Ukraine. A European diplomat said Trump's suggestion showed that Russia, despite being kicked out of the group in 2014 after annexing Crimea, was very much on U.S. minds. "In the eyes of the U.S., there's no condemnation for Ukraine; no peace without Russia; and now even credit for its mediation role with Iran. For Europeans, this will be a really tough G7," the diplomat said. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will attend the summit on Tuesday. European officials said they hoped to use the meeting, and next week's NATO summit, to convince Trump to toughen his stance on Putin. "The G7 should have the objective for us to converge again, for Ukraine to get a ceasefire to lead to a robust and lasting peace, and in my view it's a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia," Macron said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
German arms purchases to favour speed over supplier origin, top official says
FILE PHOTO: Head of Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support Kornelia Annette Lehnigk-Emden looks on, on the day of the presentation of a joint declaration of intent for the ARROW project at the Ministry of Defence in Berlin, Germany, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/ File Photo German arms purchases to favour speed over supplier origin, top official says BERLIN - Germany's military procurement agency will prioritize rapid delivery in future defence contracts over the origin of the manufacturer, its top official told Reuters, as the country prepares to nearly double its military spending. "Which country we buy from depends on who can quickly offer the required material," Annette Lehnigk-Emden, director-general of the Bundeswehr's procurement agency BAAINBw, said in a written interview. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently backed U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to hike NATO's defence spending target to 5% of national GDP, a major shift made possible by a historic loosening of Berlin's constitutional debt brake. Germany spent 2.1% of its GDP, or approximately 90 billion euros ($104 billion), on defence last year, meeting NATO's current 2% spending target. At a summit in The Hague next week, NATO leaders are expected to commit to raising the spending goal to 5%. They will take a two-pronged approach that would see members spend 3.5% of their GDP on defence and dedicate 1.5% to broader security-related issues such as infrastructure and cyber security. German arms makers are hoping to benefit from the spending surge but companies in the United States, which have expansive military production capacity, also expect to boost profits. Lehnigk-Emden did not comment directly on whether the German defence industry has sufficient capacity to capitalize on the spending increase but urged companies to boost production. "The industry must expand its capacity. We will procure, that's for sure - and off the shelf... as time is of the essence," she said. It was urgent to equip forces by 2029, she added, the date when NATO warns Russia might be capable of a large-scale attack against allied territory. Lehnigk-Emden said air defence and ammunition were among the top priorities on the military's procurement list, aligning with NATO's targets for weapons and equipment. She dismissed concerns from some experts that under pressure to meet the 5% target, some spending may be unnecessary or misallocated, stating that it would be in line with the military's demands and approved by parliament. "This is why I don't see such a risk," she added. Lehnigk-Emden did not specify when Germany's defence spending might reach 3.5% of GDP. She highlighted plans for new legislation, due by the end of the year, to speed up procurement. The BAAINBw has faced past accusations of being too sluggish. The law will seek to minimize delays caused by legal challenges and will also grant the power to restrict some tenders to European bidders and subcontractors. Berlin is already making more use of a national security clause under EU law to prioritize domestic procurement, she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US senator moves to limit Trump's war powers on Iran, as Middle East conflict escalates
Mr Tim Kaine of Virginia has tried for years to wrest back Congress's authority to declare war from the White House. PHOTO: REUTERS US senator moves to limit Trump's war powers on Iran, as Middle East conflict escalates WASHINGTON - A Democratic senator introduced legislation on June 16 to prevent US President Donald Trump from using military force against Iran without Congress's authorisation, as an escalating battle between Israel and Iran raised fears of broader conflict. Mr Tim Kaine of Virginia has tried for years to wrest back Congress's authority to declare war from the White House. During Mr Trump's first term, in 2020, Mr Kaine introduced a similar resolution to rein in Mr Trump's ability to wage war against Iran. That measure passed both the Senate and House of Representatives, winning some Republican support, but did not garner enough votes to survive the Republican president's veto. Mr Kaine said his latest war powers resolution underscores that the US Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the sole power to declare war and requires that any hostility with Iran be explicitly authorised by a declaration of war or specific authorisation for the use of military force. "It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into anot h er endless conflict," Mr Kaine said in a statement. Under US law, war powers resolutions are privileged, meaning that the Senate will be required to promptly consider and vote on the matter. Israel's military launched attacks on Iran on June 13 with the stated aim of wiping out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, responded with missile attacks on Israel. Both countries have kept up their attacks, killing and wounding civilians and raising concern among world leaders meeting in Canada this week that the biggest battle between the two old enemies could lead to a broader regional conflict. Mr Trump has lauded Israel's offensive while denying Iranian allegations that the US has taken part and warning Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include US targets. Before leaving for the summit in Canada on June 15, Mr Trump was asked what he was doing to de-escalate the situation. "I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal," he told reporters. "Sometimes they have to fight it out." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
