French Foreign Minister: Europe Needs To Be Strong To Avoid War

• 3.02.2026, 19:54

Weakness makes you a victim.

To avoid war in Europe, the EU must "be strong". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said this in an interview with La Depeche.

"It's very simple: to avoid war, you have to be strong. Weakness makes you a victim. In a violent world, with Russia's massive rearmament, the rise of terrorism and the threat of nuclear proliferation, in which the Iranian regime and North Korea play a key role, we have no choice but to rearm to deter any threat and preserve the conditions for peace," Barro said.

He said France has been advocating for a decade that Europe should be able to provide its own security. And "although there is still a long way to go before the problem is fully resolved, real progress has already been made." Barro emphasized that Europe has succeeded "at the national level" in doubling military spending "to avoid dependence on the predatory appetites of empires."