It's safe to say that Macron's words not only represent France, but also reflect the will of many EU member states,
Decision-making within the bloc cannot guarantee benefits for all 27 members. Different countries with diverged interests have different policy inclinations. Especially on the Ukraine crisis, there are big divisions. Those near Ukraine are more proactive, compared with those in southern and western Europe,
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has significantly undermined Europe's strategic autonomy. The conflict has led to the long-term strained relationship between Europe and Russia, potentially necessitating its increased reliance on the US in the future,
I am ready to open this debate which must include anti-missile defense, long-range capabilities, and nuclear weapons for those who have them or who host American nuclear armaments,
And then there are nuclear weapons: France's doctrine is that we can use them when our vital interests are threatened,
Let us put it all on the table and see what really protects us in a credible manner,
Even if Europe itself is united for that goal, the US will not allow it because an obedient Europe best serves the US' global strategy for world dominance,
The very fact that war has returned to European soil but is waged by a nuclear-armed power, changes everything,
I don’t know anything about politics,
Macron thinks that Europe's strategic fault lines are not just with illiberal assertive powers but also with the U.S,
France and Germany want Europe to be strong,
He accuses (them) of espousing unfair competition practices similar to China, and consequently paralyzing Europe's ability to assert itself as a real global power player,
He was taking stock of what had been done in Europe and saying we needed to do much better — but he wasn't speaking to French voters,
It's very peculiar because according to opinion polls, most of the French are pro-European and strongly oppose a Frexit, i.e., France leaving the EU,
That doesn't mean the far-right will rule the EU parliament, but the bigger their group, the more likely others, such as the center-right EPP, are to adopt far-right views to maintain power — which they already do, for example when it comes to immigration,
A poor result in the EU elections would turn his mandate into a lame duck presidency and destroy what's left of his authority,
Under the initiative of France, the EU stood united in support of Ukraine, we came up with joint industrial and technological policies and have changed our view on free-trade agreements to better protect European industries,
But I doubt Macron's speech today will have filled French voters with enthusiasm,
It would be a final blow to the so-called Franco-German engine, or cooperation between France and Germany, which is crucial for the EU to move forward,
It will be interesting to see how other EU members react — will they pick up some of his ideas?"