FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Paris observes the NATO crisis with the distance of one who had warned about it. Le Monde headlines 'Washington's Growing Resentment Toward NATO, a Paper Tiger,' and details the mechanics of the unfolding divorce. The article quotes Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense: 'We're not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz far more than we do. They should perhaps do less talking and sophisticated conferences in Europe and send a ship.'

France is named in the Pentagon email as one of the countries that refused overflight permission and use of its bases for military operations against Iran, alongside Spain and Italy. But Macron, speaking in Athens, chooses offense over defense. He places Trump in the same category as Putin and Xi Jinping: all three are 'dead against the Europeans.' This marks the first time a French president has publicly grouped the American president with Europe's strategic adversaries.

Le Monde notes that Trump calls the Alliance a 'one-way street' and that Rubio speaks of a 'reexamination' of the relationship. Macron follows by declaring there is now 'doubt about Article 5' — the foundational article of collective defense. For Paris, the Pentagon's threat to Spain is not surprising but confirming: the United States is no longer a reliable ally, and Europe must build its own defense. This is the message Macron has hammered since 2017, but this time the facts are on his side.