French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said his government would unveil proposals "in the coming months" to boost security across the EU, in a bid to diminish the bloc's reliance on the US for its defense needs.

"Europe can no longer rely on the United States for its security," Macron said during a speech to French diplomats and lawmakers. "It is up to us to guarantee European security."

Macron said the EU needed to "take new initiatives, build new alliances" to ensure its preservation. "I want us to launch an exhaustive review of our security with all Europe's partners, which includes Russia," he added.

Differences on defense

Macron's remarks come as the White House continues to question US relations with Europe. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on Washington's commitment to the NATO military alliance, saying the US pays far more for defense than other member states.

In 2014, NATO nations agreed to stop cuts to defense spending and pursue a target of 2 percent of GDP by 2024. But Trump has called for alliance members to reach the goal sooner or see the US "moderate" its commitment.

Although their relationship has been dubbed a "bromance," French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized US President Donald Trump's decisions to pull out of the Iran deal and impose tariffs against EU steel and aluminum

'Counterweight to the US'

But defense spending isn't the only problem straining EU-US relations. Brussels has criticized the US for pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last month managed to avert a trade war by negotiating a deal with Trump after Washington imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum exports against its economic ally, the EU.

Read more: When does a trade spat become an actual trade war?

Last week, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made similar remarks to Macron's in a guest article for German business newspaper Handelsblatt, saying Europe must "take an equal share of the responsibility" and "form a counterweight to the US."

"If we go it alone, we will fail in this task," Maas said. "The outstanding aim of our foreign policy is to build a sovereign, strong Europe. Only by joining forces with France and other European nations can a balance with the US be achieved."

President Trump's first year on magazine covers The new statesman This cover from the end of 2016 most likely pleased the newly elected US president. Time magazine picked Donald Trump as Person of the Year, a title that was also once given to Konrad Adenauer, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King — as well as Hitler and Stalin. The annual end-of-year feature picks someone who, "for better or for worse ... has done the most to influence the events of the year."

President Trump's first year on magazine covers With a Hitler mustache Even before Trump's election, the Mexican magazine Letras Libres made its opinion on Trump absolutely clear, using the words "American fascist" to form a Hitler mustache on his portrait. Building a wall on the US-Mexico border and clamping down on Mexican immigrants were some of Trump's electoral promises.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Walling in Two weeks after Donald Trump's election, the New Yorker creatively commented on the president's border wall project. From subtle to explicitly insensitive depictions, international magazine covers featured a broad range of styles while commenting on Trump's policies throughout the year.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers A rhetorical question Renowned for its confrontational style, Charlie Hebdo also took on the newly elected US president. In a depiction referring to Trump's infamous "grab women by the pussy" comments, the November 16, 2016, issue asked: "Did we have to entrust him with the nuclear button?"

President Trump's first year on magazine covers The prescience of the Simpsons Donald Trump as US president: What was supposed to be a joke in The Simpsons turned out to be true 16 years later. British tabloid The Sun referred to the sitcom's prophecy on its cover, showing Homer shocked by the turn of events, reacting with his catchphrase, "D'oh!"

President Trump's first year on magazine covers American psycho The center-left French newspaper Libération reacted to the election with biting sarcasm. The headline was borrowed from a Bret Easton Ellis novel, "American Psycho." Its narrator and main character, Patrick Bateman, is rich, superficial and narcissistic. There are numerous parallels to be drawn with the US president — but the fictional character is also a serial killer.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Nothing to see here Some commentators hoped Trump would soften the tone he used during his campaign once he took office. On this Time magazine cover, illustrator Tim O'Brien used fine paintbrush strokes to depict Trump's chaotic first weeks in the White House.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers At the wheel After Trump's inauguration, the New Yorker commented on the childish behavior of the man who would from then on be steering the country. "Every so often, you hear stories on the news about a toddler who somehow manages to start the family car and drive the vehicle across town, where the law finally apprehends him," said the artist behind the cover, Barry Blitt.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers An insurgent in the White House The British weekly The Economist was inspired by Banksy's famous artwork of a rioter throwing flowers for last February's issue. It reacted to Trump's first weeks in office, when he "lobbed the first Molotov cocktail of policies and executive orders against the capital's brilliant-white porticos," wrote the magazine's editor, adding, "With Trump, chaos seems to be part of the plan."

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Beheading freedom A cartoon figure of Trump holding a bloodied knife and the Statue of Liberty's head: The cover of German weekly Der Spiegel made headlines worldwide. It reacted to Trump's "America First" policy and his threats to democracy, including his executive order to bar people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country. The cover divided opinions within the country and abroad.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Take your kids to work every day It's both a challenge and a goldmine for satirists: Trump's politics and habits are often more bizarre than satire itself. On this cover, Mad magazine commented on the White House role given to the president's daughter Ivanka and to his son-in-law and presidential adviser, Jared Kushner, who was morphed into the traits of the magazine's iconic mascot, Alfred E. Neuman.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers The mouthpiece of white supremacists After a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a participant drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 people. Trump then declared that there were "very fine people" marching with the white supremacists that day, a comment which drew praise from former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke. The Economist reacted with this cover.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Tailwind from the president Following the Charlottesville rally events, The New Yorker also took aim at Trump's remarks equating neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan to the counter-protesters. "President Trump's weak pushback to hate groups — as if he was trying not to alienate them as voters — compelled me to take up my pen," said artist David Plunkert of his cover, entitled "Blowhard."

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Breaking a taboo: a Hitler comparison The German weekly Stern went one step further by unsubtly portraying Trump draped in the American flag and giving a Nazi salute. The cover story was headlined "Sein Kampf," (His Struggle), a play on Adolf Hitler's infamous "Mein Kampf" book. It drew sharp criticism from the Central Council of Jews for belittling Hitler's crimes. Misappropriating Nazi symbols is taboo in Germany.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Lazy boy In early August, Newsweek magazine depicted Trump as a fast food-eating, bored TV junkie — descriptions also found in the book "Fire and Fury." Headlined "LAZY BOY: Donald Trump is bored and tired. Imagine how bad he'd feel if he did any work," the issue also pointed out that during his six months in office, he had spent 40 days at golf clubs, but had seen zero pieces of major legislation passed.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers A prominent phony Trump likes to describe any media criticizing him as " fake news," but he's also renowned for his own twisting of the truth. This fake Time magazine cover praising Trump's TV show "The Apprentice" in 2009 was framed and on prominent display in at least five of his golf clubs. When the story came out last June, it felt like the perfect embodiment of Trump's narcissism and lies.

President Trump's first year on magazine covers Russian bride of the year Twitter went wild after the fake Time magazine cover story came out. Thousands of memes poking fun at Trump were created using the magazine's iconic template. This one photoshopped the Person of the Year issue to turn Donald Trump into the "Russian bride of the Year," commenting on Trump's questionable Russian ties. Author: Torsten Landsberg (eg)



ls/es (AFP, dpa)

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