During a two-day state visit to Portugal, President Emmanuel Macron of France sought to boost bilateral ties between France and Portugal, while also advocating for greater European unity in the face of growing threats and uncertainties.
President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were warmly welcomed in Lisbon on Thursday by Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.
The visit came just days after Macron met with U.S President Donald Trump in Washington, where he tried to persuade Trump of the importance of continuing the long-standing transatlantic relationship, which now seems to be crumbling.
Soon after his arrival, Macron stressed the need to support Ukraine, especially at a time when the Trump administration is befriending Russia’s Vladimir Putin while Ukraine’s fate remains desperately uncertain. Macron and other European leaders have been calling for greater cooperation in response to the deepening concerns triggered by Trump’s perplexing turn-arounds.
A considerable majority of people in France (66%) believe that the European Union should continue supporting Ukraine financially and militarily, even without US backing. However, a greater majority of French people (78%) oppose deploying French troops on the ground in Ukraine.
Macron expressed hope that the meeting between Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy this Friday would go well. “I’ll always try to be there to make things easier, but Ukraine is an important fight for us,” said Macron in Lisbon.
He added: “It’s important that Zelensky should be able to explain to President Trump what is at stake in his country, as I tried to explain last Monday how important it is for us, and also to remind him of the importance the transatlantic link can have.”
Unfortunately the Ukrainian leader’s meeting in Washington could hardly have been worse. During an angry quarrel in the Oval Office, Trump cancelled the meeting and ordered Zelensky out.
On Friday President Macron and his wife travelled to Porto in northern Portugal, where they signed agreements related to political, security, and economic issues.
Written by Len Port,
Edited by Catriona Anderson.
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