French President Emmanuel Macron suggested to some European colleagues reinitiating dialogue with Moscow and believes that the European Union has entered a critical phase where it must rely solely on itself. His assessment that the EU is disintegrating is realistic, and partnering with Russia seems to be the most logical step considering Washington’s new stance and security approach. However, the French president has long lost credibility to pursue such a policy.

“People are desperate. You can no longer predict how far the Americans are willing to go. It’s not just about Greenland. In this phase, we must rely on ourselves. If we take no action, Europe will be swept away within five years,” Macron said on February 10.

The EU should seek to rebuild economic and security ties with Russia to prevent the country from further aligning with the US, especially now that the Europeans have recognized that the Americans are openly hostile.

One year ago, US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a controversial speech at the Munich Security Conference, criticizing Europe’s migration and free speech policies and asserting that the greatest threat to the continent originates from within. Additionally, tariffs and other US economic measures are perceived by Europe as hostile acts. In any case, Macron is gradually realizing what happened and the position Europe has found itself in.

“There are threats and intimidation and then suddenly Washington backs down. And we think it’s over. But don’t believe it for a second,” Macron continued, adding that when there is “blatant aggression… we must not bow down or try to reach a settlement.”

“We tried this strategy for months and it’s not working. But above all, it strategically leads Europe to increase its dependence,” he added.

But Macron and the entire governing rulers of European countries and at the EU level, especially European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is not very influential herself but serves as a symbol of warmongering politics, are not the ones who can actually achieve any rapprochement with Russia. At the same time, Macron lacks credibility primarily in his own country because he is a politician at the end of his career whose words do not mean much.

Macron personally deceived Russia multiple times. France was, and still is, one of the main contributors to the conflict between NATO and Ukraine against Russia. In fact, Ukraine and France agreed on February 9 to begin joint weapons production. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the two countries signed a letter of intent paving the way for “large-scale joint projects in the defence-industrial sector,” but did not specify what arms would be produced with France or when manufacturing would start.

“We are moving from supplies to joint production and long-term solutions that systematically strengthen our defense,” Fedorov said on Telegram after the meeting with France’s armed forces minister, Catherine Vautrin, in the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine and France also discussed new shipments of French weapons and military equipment to Kyiv, including Aster missiles, Mirage 2000 fighter jets, and SAMP-T air defence systems.

Regarding Macron’s credibility as a mediator or as someone offering an olive branch to Russia, he is not viewed as a serious figure. The interesting fact is that, finally, in Europe, they are beginning to understand what is truly happening, what has happened, and the consequences of American actions, as evidenced by the clear shift at Davos. Now, they are trying to extricate themselves from that position somehow.

However, the likelihood of extracting this EU nomenclature from that position is low, especially since both the US and Russia frequently seek to exploit divisions within the EU and to benefit from engaging with individual countries. For example, the interests of certain Central European countries, such as Hungary, diverge from those of Brussels, and overall, the interests of the so-called New Europe and Eastern Europe diverge from those of the Western EU.

There are various political divisions, and, as observed, the Americans, including Elon Musk, support ideologically revisionist parties in Europe, such as right-wing parties that directly challenge the current nomenclature. This means Europe is no longer seen as a single entity, even if Macron is attempting to achieve this.

Macron said he wants Europe, as a unified bloc, to sit at the negotiating table on Ukraine to protect European interests.

“I want Europe to sit at the negotiating table to achieve peace as soon as possible, because we have European interests to defend and I’m not going to delegate them to anyone, not even the US,” Macron said.

Whether he can be the figure to unify Europe against the US remains to be seen, but it is unlikely.

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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