French leader Emmanuel Macron believes that Europeans should not delegate their security to the United States but should more broadly protect their interests.
He stated this at a conference in Budapest, as reported by "European Truth".
Macron described Republican Donald Trump, who has already declared victory in the U.S. elections, as a "moment in history" for Europeans.
"He was elected by the American people, and he will defend the interests of Americans, which is legitimate and good. The question is, are we ready to defend the interests of Europeans... I believe that this is our priority," said the French leader.
In Macron's opinion, this is a decisive moment in history "for us as Europeans."
"Essentially, the question we need to answer is whether we want to read a history written by others? Wars initiated by Vladimir Putin, the U.S. elections, the technological and trade choices made by the Chinese, or do we want to write our own history?" he noted.
Macron is confident that EU countries can write their own history.
He also urged to "act and protect" Europe’s national, economic, and strategic interests, advocating for EU countries to think "like an independent state" and regain control by stopping the delegation of defense to the U.S.
Recently, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in light of the Republican Party's successes and Trump's performance in the U.S. elections, called for a new European strategy regarding Ukraine.
The day before, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated that support for Ukraine in the coming months will determine the future of the EU, as European countries need to do more to protect Kyiv and themselves following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S.