French and German presidents warn US foreign policy under Trump could weaken rules-based order

Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier said US actions under Donald Trump are moving away from international rules and risk undermining the postwar rules-based order; EU leaders are divided on how to respond.

Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier made separate speeches criticising recent US foreign policy under Donald Trump. Macron argued that the United States is moving away from some international rules and that multilateral institutions are functioning less effectively. Steinmeier said this behaviour represented a further rupture after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and warned that smaller states could be left without adequate protection. Both presidents said Europe must reconsider parts of its security posture and defend its digital regulatory measures. Key points: - Macron told France's diplomatic corps that the United States has been distancing itself from some international rules and that Europe should aim for greater strategic autonomy and reduced dependence on major powers. - Steinmeier, speaking at a Berlin symposium, said the erosion of the postwar order risks leaving smaller states defenseless and argued for a stronger European security role. - Observers widely interpreted both speeches as responses to a recent US operation in Caracas and to President Trump's public interest in Greenland, though neither president named those events directly. - Macron also defended the EU's Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act and said those rules should be upheld amid criticism from the United States. Summary: The remarks from France and Germany signal growing tensions between some EU leaders and recent US foreign-policy moves and have led to calls within Europe to reassess security and digital policy. How EU leaders will coordinate a collective response to these developments is undetermined at this time.