Necva Tastan Sevinc
February 13, 2026•Update: February 13, 2026
ISTANBUL
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for a more “audacious” and self-confident Europe, warning that the continent must take responsibility for its own security architecture rather than allow others to define it.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Macron said Europe faces a historic turning point driven by the war in Ukraine, shifting transatlantic dynamics and a more unstable global order.
“This is the right time for audacity. This is the right time for a strong Europe,” he said.
Macron stressed that Europe must “learn to become a geopolitical power,” arguing that the European Union can no longer rely solely on its economic weight while security decisions are shaped elsewhere.
“Our geography will not change,” he said, referring to Russia. “We will live with Russia at the same place… and I don’t want this negotiation to be organized by somebody else.”
While voicing support for US-led efforts to reach a negotiated settlement in Ukraine, Macron insisted Europe must play a central role in any outcome.
“No peace without the Europeans,” he said. “You can negotiate without Europeans if you prefer, but it will not bring peace to the table.”
Macron described Russia as “a weakened country” whose invasion of Ukraine had become “a strategic, an economic and even a military failure,” rejecting claims that Kyiv has already lost the war as “a huge strategic mistake.”
He warned that Europe must prepare not only for the end of hostilities but for long-term coexistence with what he called “an unreconstructed aggressive Russia on our borders,” raising questions about missile deployments, arms control and future deterrence arrangements.
Turning inward, Macron criticized narratives portraying Europe as declining or divided.
“Europe is inherently strong and can be made even stronger yet,” he said, adding that Europeans are “starting not to believe in ourselves, which is a huge mistake.”
He called for deeper defense integration and common financing mechanisms, cautioning that fragmented national rearmament would undermine credibility.
“If this time of rearmament is a time of separation on national power, it would be a huge mistake,” he said. “Credibility is not only a question of missiles. It is in large part a question of determination.”
