French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, January 8, accused the United States of breaking free from international rules and warned that Washington is gradually turning away from some of its allies, in remarks underscoring growing tensions between Europe and the U.S. Macron delivered the comments at the lyse Palace during his annual address to French ambassadors, as European powers debate how to respond to what they consider an increasingly assertive U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The United States is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and breaking free from international rules that it was still promoting recently, Macron said. Multilateral institutions are functioning less and less effectively. We are living in a world of great powers with a real temptation to divide up the world, he added. His remarks follow a U.S. special forces raid in Venezuela last Saturday that saw Nicols Maduro and his wife seized and taken to New York, prompting criticism that Washington had infringed on international law. In the aftermath, U.S. President Donald Trump reignited debate in Europe by reiterating his intention to take control of Greenland, refusing to rule out the use of force to obtain the Arctic territory a move that has alarmed Denmark and other U.S. allies. Copenhagen has warned that any such attack would spell the end of NATO. Macron said the moment called for countries to reinvest fully in the United Nations at a time when everyday people wonder whether Greenland is going to be invaded and whether Canada will face the threat of becoming the 51st state. He criticised the U.S. withdrawal from dozens of international agreements and organisations, noting that Washington had recently flagged its exit from 66 global bodies and treaties. Macron urged Europe to protect its own interests, calling for consolidation of European regulation of the tech sector. He praised efforts to safeguard academic independence and spoke of the need for a controlled information space where opinions can be exchanged completely freely, but where choices are not made by the algorithms of a few. He defended the European Unions Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, two flagship measures aimed at regulating large technology platforms. The DSA and DMA are two regulations that must be defended, Macron said..
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