Trump is never short of opponents: US Prez targets French counterpart after reaching Paris

Paris, Nov 10: French President Emmanuel Macron has a peculiar relation with his American counterpart Donald Trump. While the latter had hosted the former for his presidency's first state dinner in April this year, Macron was also heard once that his phone calls with Trump are like sausages and it is better not to know what's inside them.

The two leaders had their differences over issues like Iran or climate change and here is the latest happening in their relationship and it is again a reason to feel less friendly towards each other. Trump, who landed in Paris on Friday, November 9, to commemorate the completion of a century since the conclusion of the First World War (1914-1918), revealed in a tweet soon after landing that he was not impressed with Macron.

The reason?

Trump felt Macron's suggestion that Europe build its own military to protect itself from countries like Russia, China and even the US was "very insulting" and asked Europe to first pay its fair share of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) which he said, is subsidised significantly by the US.

Macron said on Europe 1 radio on Tuesday, November 7, the need for a "real European army" within the European Union, according to AFP. "We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America," he said. The French president also added that since Trump took over as the leader of the US, the latter has been a less reliable ally.

"When I see President Trump announcing that he's quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security," he said, referring to Trump's announcement last month that the US would pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty which it had concluded with Russia in 1987 as a major step towards curbing arms race. Trump said this for he thought the Kremlin was not honouring the treaty.

'Trump took it out of context'

A senior French official said Trump targeted Macron "out of context" and that the latter was likely to respond to the American president's tweet on Saturday, November 10, CNN reported.

The official said Macron did not say about a European army but that Europe should form an army, adding that it is an idea complementary to Nato and not distinct from it, the CNN added.