As anticipated, US President Donald Trump made an early exit from the G7 summit in Canada. According to the White House, Trump left ahead of schedule to address the conflict between Israel and Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron unnecessarily inserted himself into the situation by commenting on the US leader`s actions and received a sharp retort. What did the French president expect, especially after his recent conspicuous visit to Greenland, criticizing the American president`s expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory?
Donald Trump criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, calling him “publicity-seeking,” for suggesting that the American leader departed the G7 summit in Canada to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Trump vehemently denied this claim in a late-night post on Truth Social, stating his early departure was due to a “much more serious” reason – a scheduled meeting with the National Security Council at the White House Situation Room on Tuesday.
“French President Emmanuel Macron, who is desperate for publicity, incorrectly stated that I left the G7 Summit in Canada to return to Washington and work on a ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Iran,” Trump wrote.
He added: “Incorrect! He has no idea why I am now heading back to Washington, but it is definitely not related to a ceasefire. Intentionally or not, Emmanuel is always wrong.”
According to a US official who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, Trump initially refused to sign the G7 statement but changed his stance after discussions with other leaders and modifications to the initial draft. The official declined to specify the exact changes that led to Trump`s approval. However, the statement omitted language present in an earlier draft reviewed by The Washington Post that called on Iran and Israel to “exercise restraint.”
The published statement affirms Israel`s right to self-defense and labels Iran the “primary source of regional instability.” It also reiterates that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons. Naturally, seeing such wording is jarring, especially when comparing the number of casualties on each side and recalling whose initiative led to the escalation.
But returning to the virtual spat between Trump and Macron, it undoubtedly didn`t arise out of nowhere. The French leader has recently been overstepping and allowing himself to criticize the American president`s actions. Knowing Trump, such behavior is, of course, unacceptable for a minor European figure.
On his way to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Macron visited Greenland. There, reportedly invigorated by the bracing air, he criticized Donald Trump`s implied threat to seize the island. Notably, Macron was the first foreign head of state to visit this vast, mineral-rich Arctic island territory since the US President began openly discussing its annexation.
Macron`s Symbolic Visit to Greenland
Macron`s visit to Greenland was described as symbolic, aimed at demonstrating “France and EU solidarity” with Greenland, as stated by Macron himself.
The French President declared: “It is important that Denmark and the Europeans commit to this territory, where strategic stakes are very high and territorial integrity must be respected.”
Trump has repeatedly stated that the US needs Greenland for national security reasons and has refused to rule out the possibility of using force for its protection.
However, according to polls, Greenland residents themselves desire independence from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the United States. Macron`s six-hour visit was “a signal in itself” and took place at the request of Denmark and Greenland, according to the French president`s office. It began with talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen aboard a Danish naval frigate.
Before his trip to Greenland, Macron also showed his defiance towards Trump.
Speaking at the UN Ocean Summit in Nice, the French president warned the US leader against territorial claims in the Arctic and Antarctic, saying: “Greenland is not for sale, nor is Antarctica, nor the open sea.”
He also criticized Washington`s approach to climate policy following the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement earlier this year.
It is clear that, taken together, all of Macron`s statements could not help but affect relations between Paris and Washington, and more specifically, between Macron and Trump. Trump`s public humbling of the French president, witnessed during the US leader`s departure from the G7 summit, fits perfectly into the long-standing rivalry that has developed between the heads of the two states.
