France Rebuts NATO Chief's "Can't Do It Without the US" Claim: "We Can Take Responsibility Ourselves"

French Foreign Minister Counters on Social Media with "Self-Reliance" Argument

France, which has consistently emphasized the concept of "European self-reliance," has pushed back against remarks by Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), who stated that independent European defense is impossible without the United States.

Jean-Noel Barrault, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, responded in the early hours of the 27th (local time) by posting a video of Secretary General Rutte's speech on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "No, Secretary General Rutte. Europeans can and must take responsibility for their own security."

He added, "Even the United States acknowledges this," and said, "This is precisely the European pillar of NATO."

French President Emmanuel Macron advocates for "strategic autonomy," arguing that Europe must reduce its security and defense dependence on the United States and develop the capacity to act independently.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, and Donald Trump, President of the United States. Yonhap News.

France, along with the United Kingdom, is the only nuclear-armed country in Europe, and it has publicly expressed its willingness to share its nuclear deterrence with other European nations.

France's push for European self-reliance began to gain support from other European countries after Donald Trump became President of the United States last year, which caused instability in the transatlantic alliance.

Earlier this month, in a symbolic move to demonstrate their determination to achieve strategic autonomy, France and seven other European countries deployed small contingents of troops to Greenland in response to President Trump's ambitions to acquire the territory.

Secretary General Rutte, caught between Europe and the United States, stated at the European Parliament the previous day, "If anyone here thinks that the EU or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the United States, keep dreaming. It cannot be done."

He also commented on the idea of independent defense, saying, "Think again, because President Putin (of Russia) would welcome it."

Despite the NATO Secretary General's skepticism toward the idea of independent European defense, France plans to continue pursuing a path that strengthens Europe's strategic autonomy.

According to the ?lys?e Palace, President Macron will meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Jens Frederik Nielsen, Prime Minister of Greenland's autonomous government, in Paris on the 28th.

The presidential office explained that during this meeting, "France will reaffirm European solidarity, its support for Denmark and Greenland, and its commitment to their sovereignty and territorial integrity."