Macron calls Trump’s threats to impose tariffs unacceptable

President France Emmanuel Macron issued a strong statement in response to threats Donald Trump about the possible introduction of trade duties, emphasizing that such methods of pressure are unacceptable and will not influence the position of Paris.

In a post on a social network X Macron noted that it is this commitment that underlies the foreign policy decisions of Paris and determines France’s attitude towards United Nations And UN Charter. According to him, these principles are universal and do not depend on the current situation.

La France est attachée à la souveraineté et à l’indépendance des Nations, en Europe comme ailleurs. Cela préside à nos choix. Cela fonde notre attachement aux nations unies et à notre charte.

C’est à ce titre que nous soutenons et continuerons de soutenir l’Ukraine,…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 17, 2026

Based on this, the French President confirmed that Paris supports and will continue to support Ukraineand also participates in the formation “coalition of volunteers”aimed at achieving strong and sustainable peace and defense of fundamental principles and European security.

In the same context, Macron explained France’s decision join military exercisesinitiated Denmark V Greenland. He emphasized that Paris consciously takes on this responsibilitysince we are talking about questions security in the Arctic and on northern borders of Europe.

The French President emphasized that no forms of intimidation or threats cannot influence the position of France – be it in relation to Ukraine, Greenland or any other point in the world where issues of sovereignty and international security are affected.

Speaking about the trade dimension, Macron said that Threats of tariffs are unacceptable and inappropriate in this context. According to him, if such steps are confirmed European countries will respond in a unified and coordinated manner.

“We can achieve respect European sovereignty“, the French President emphasized, adding that he intends to discuss further steps with European partners exactly in this spirit.

Editorial comment

Threats of trade tariffs are far from the only or even the main instrument of pressure at the disposal of Donald Trump in relations with Emmanuel Macron. Moreover, in the current configuration, they may turn out to be only an auxiliary element of a much broader political game.

The key vulnerability of Paris today lies not in France’s foreign policy positions, but in Macron’s own internal situation. Its ratings remain extremely low, society is fragmented, and social fatigue has been building for years. In such a situation, any external pressure is automatically transformed into an internal political factor.

That is why the most effective for Trump may not be economic, but personalized pressure. Public statements emphasizing the weakness of the French leader, hints at his lack of a full-fledged mandate, or demonstrative distancing from Paris can increase doubts within France itself. For a politician with stable support this would be noise, for Macron it would be a painful blow.

No less sensitive instrument remains military-political cooling without a formal break. We are not talking about the US leaving NATO, but about reducing the role of France in key consultations, redistributing attention in favor of other European partners and forming an informal circle of “preferred allies”. In this configuration, Paris remains a de jure ally, but loses de facto influence.

Additional leverage can come from playing European disagreements. The pressure is not on EU in general, and through bilateral contacts with individual countries, it undermines the very idea of ​​a “single European response” to which Macron appeals. For France, which claims to be the political engine of Europe, this is especially sensitive.

Economic measures can also be point character: pressure on specific French corporations, defense and high-tech projects, restrictions under the pretext of US national security. Formally, these are business decisions, in fact, they are political signals.

Ultimately, the problem for Paris is asymmetry. Trump can afford to escalatevarying the pressure tools. Macron is limited – both the internal situation and the lack of a quick and symmetrical response. This is what makes Washington’s threats more serious than they appear at first glance.

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