Emmanuel Macron warned Europe “can die”, as he declared the US was more concerned about “themselves” and China than the Continent. 

In a flagship speech, the French president said the days of outsourcing its security to Washington were over since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine had brought war to Europe’s backyard.

Mr Macron called on the EU to deepen European defence cooperation in a “paradigm shift” and suggested France’s nuclear arsenal could provide security guarantees to the EU. 

Mr Macron said the EU had to punch its geopolitical weight in the world and prove “that it’s never going to be the, say, the lapdog of the United States and know how to speak with all of the other regions of the world.”

“We’re reacting too slowly […] whichever way you look at it, the United States have two priorities; themselves. That’s fair enough. And the Chinese matter. Europe is far behind. It’s not a priority for their geopolitical view,” he said at Sorbonne University. 

“We used to buy from Russia from China and delegate our security to the States – this is over […] The facts have changed.”

Mr Macron said, “A war is on European territory, and it’s carried out by someone who has the nuclear power. Iran is about to have nuclear power, and that’s also a big game changer.

“Europe can die, “ he added, “we need to take massive strategic decisions”.

Mr Macron called for stronger security links with the UK.

He said, “With the British, who are natural allies, we have the Lancaster house agreement and these give us a solid foundation for partnership. We have to strengthen this because Brexit hasn’t affected this partnership.”