On the 20th, French President Macron stated that trade agreements between Europe and the United States have harmed European interests, that the U.S. has forced Europe to make maximum concessions, and is openly attempting to weaken and control Europe—this is "unacceptable."
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Macron said that these U.S. actions "combined with the endless accumulation of new tariffs, are fundamentally unacceptable—especially when these tariffs are used as tools to infringe upon territorial sovereignty."
He pointed out that France and Europe are committed to maintaining national sovereignty and independence, while upholding the UN Charter.
He called for strengthening European autonomy and defending multilateralism.
Macron stated that, in the context of U.S. President Trump attempting to annex Greenland, NATO is now an "institution that has been weakened."
He hopes that during France’s presidency of the G7 this year, the G7 summit can become a platform for "frank dialogue" and "collaborative solution-seeking."
Russian and U.S. presidential envoys meet in Davos
On the 20th, Dmitriev, the special representative of Russian President Putin, held talks with U.S. President Trump’s envoy Witkoff and his son-in-law Kushner during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The talks took place at the “America House,” a 19th-century church temporarily used by the U.S. delegation in the town of Davos.
After the talks, Witkoff told media reporters that the meeting was “very positive.” Dmitriev told reporters that the conversation was “constructive,” and that more and more people are realizing the correctness of the Russian position.
Dmitriev is the president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the presidential special envoy responsible for foreign investment and economic cooperation. He has held several rounds of talks with Witkoff and other U.S. representatives on the diplomatic process aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.