Macron Says European Defense Autonomy and NATO Membership Are Compatible

Macron Says European Defense Autonomy and NATO Membership Are Compatible
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of talks at the Chancellery in Berlin on June 18, 2021. John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images
Reuters
Updated:

PARIS—French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said that the goal of European defense autonomy could go hand in hand with NATO membership.

“We have succeeded in instilling the idea that European defense, and strategic defense autonomy, can be an alternative project to the trans-Atlantic organization, but very much a solid component of this,” Macron told a news conference before holding talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.