French minister says US defence pivot 'kick in the behind'

A French minister on Tuesday said shifting US defence priorities, expected to be amplified under President Donald Trump, were a strong incentive for Europeans to take better care of their own defence.

A US strategic movement away from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region was a "serious kick in the behind", Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the France Inter broadcaster, that he hoped would lead to greater defence autonomy for Europe.

While emphasising that Europe would have needed to strive for greater strategic autonomy no matter who is in the White House, Lecornu said Trump's abrasive tone could speed things up.


"Perhaps the brutality of the president's words will, finally, provoke a shock and an awareness," he said.

"For decades there has been a temptation to shelter under the American nuclear umbrella," Lecornu said, but now European countries should do more to develop their own defence industries. "To want to buy more weapons from the United States is the wrong way."

Lecornu had harsh words for Sebastien Sejourne, France's former foreign minister and now EU Commission vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy, who on Monday said a "deal" could be made with Trump by which the EU would exchange favourable trade terms with the United States for more arms purchases from American firms.

"We will not trade our security for hamburgers and German cars," Lecornu quipped.

The minister noted that Trump made no mention of the Ukraine war in Monday's inauguration speech, which he said illustrated the lessening importance of Europe for Washington.

On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his call for a "strategic awakening" for Europe, amid questions over the incoming US administration's commitment to transatlantic security.

Other European leaders have made similar statements.