Emmanuel Macron
Macron is running multiple active fronts in the final stretch of his presidency: expanding France's nuclear arsenal and umbrella for the first time since 1992, co-chairing a Ukraine air-defense coalition, hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a landmark strategic partnership, and pushing domestic reforms ahead of the 2027 race he cannot enter.
Emmanuel Macron is spending the final stretch of a term-limited presidency simultaneously expanding French nuclear deterrence, running a Ukraine air-defense coalition, locking in a landmark Saudi strategic partnership, and pushing domestic reforms before the 2027 race he cannot enter.
Nuclear expansion is one front among several, but arguably the most consequential. Macron announced France's first increase in warhead count since 1992 and established a "forward deterrence" partnership with nine countries, responding to the U.S. 2026 National Defense Strategy dropping explicit extended-deterrence commitments and Trump cutting joint exercises with South Korea. He and Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed a defense pact at Nörvenich Air Base on July 17, securing German conventional participation in France's Poker nuclear exercise this autumn. Macron called Germany's role one that creates "strategic doubt among our adversaries" while insisting France retains absolute control over nuclear decisions and funding. He had earlier proposed extending France's nuclear umbrella to European neighbors; Merz pledged collaboration as a complement to NATO, while Marine Le Pen welcomed the sovereignty emphasis but opposes broader EU integration.
On Ukraine, Macron co-chaired a Coalition of the Willing meeting with UK PM Andy Burnham and Chancellor Merz in Kyiv, calling on all countries with capabilities to join the air-defense effort and stressing Ukraine needs "all the necessary means to defend its skies." He promised Zelenskyy to accelerate French air-defense deliveries after Russia's deadly Aug 21-22 strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv. Macron visited London on Aug 27 for bilateral talks with Burnham, the first EU leader to visit since Burnham took office July 20, focusing on illegal migration and UK-EU rapprochement, with a postponed UK-EU summit rescheduled for October.
Macron hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris Aug 23-24 for the inaugural Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, signing 21 agreements including a 6 billion euro Qiddiya investment, a 500 million euro Alstom Riyadh Metro contract, and 3.7 billion dollars in Aramco-French AI deals. The two are coordinating on alternative trade routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and jointly advocating freedom of navigation through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. French journalists' unions protested the visit over Khashoggi.
After Trump claimed the U.S. will control Greenland by 2029, Macron deployed additional French military forces and opened a new consulate in Nuuk. He faces open pressure from 52 former French diplomats and 50 former British ones who published a letter in Le Monde demanding joint sanctions on Israel, including an arms-transfer ban and a freeze on the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Domestically, Macron promulgated a high school mobile phone ban effective September, declaring that protecting children from the excesses of screens can no longer wait. The companion under-15 social media ban was struck down by the Constitutional Council, and PM Lecornu is drafting a revised version targeting a stable legal framework by next spring. Macron pledged "zero tolerance" for arsonists as France arrested over 300 people amid its worst wildfire season on record, with 160,000 hectares burned and 180-plus homes destroyed. He backed contemporary stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame, a move facing a 300,000-signature petition and legal challenges. With Macron constitutionally barred from 2027, the left primary field is crowding with Faure, Glucksmann, Brun, and Royal, while Le Pen leads first-round polls.
On their plate
Macron announced France's first increase in warhead count since 1992 and established a "forward deterrence" partnership with nine countries, responding to the U.S. 2026 National Defense Strategy dropping explicit extended-deterrence commitments. He and Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed a defense pact at Nörvenich Air Base on July 17, bringing German conventional forces into France's Poker nuclear exercise this autumn while Macron retains absolute control over nuclear decisions and funding.
Macron co-chaired a Coalition of the Willing meeting with UK PM Andy Burnham and Chancellor Merz in Kyiv, urging all countries with capabilities to join the air-defense effort. He promised Zelenskyy to accelerate French air-defense deliveries after Russia's deadly Aug 21-22 strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv.
Macron hosted Mohammed bin Salman in Paris Aug 23-24 for the inaugural Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, signing 21 strategic agreements including a 6 billion euro Qiddiya investment, a 500 million euro Alstom Riyadh Metro contract, and 3.7 billion dollars in Aramco-French AI deals. Both sides are coordinating on alternative trade routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and jointly advocating freedom of navigation through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.
Macron visited London on Aug 27 for bilateral talks with new UK PM Andy Burnham, the first EU leader to visit since Burnham took office July 20. Discussions focused on illegal migration and UK-EU rapprochement, with a postponed UK-EU summit rescheduled for October.
Macron promulgated a high school mobile phone ban effective September, declaring that protecting children from the excesses of screens can no longer wait; the companion under-15 social media ban was struck down by the Constitutional Council and PM Sébastien Lecornu is drafting a revised version. With Macron constitutionally barred from 2027, the left primary field is crowding with Faure, Glucksmann, Brun, and Royal, while Marine Le Pen leads first-round polls.
Macron pledged "zero tolerance" for arsonists as France arrested over 300 people amid its worst wildfire season on record, with 160,000 hectares burned and 180-plus homes destroyed. He called it the most severe crisis since the Second World War, with WWII shells unearthed by heat in Gironde and PM Lecornu managing evacuations and firefighter response.
Macron deployed additional French military forces and opened a new consulate in Nuuk in response to Trump's renewed claims that the U.S. will control Greenland by 2029, a direct counter to Trump's territorial ambitions amid a 10% tariff pressure campaign on European nations.
Macron backed the installation of six contemporary stained-glass windows designed by Claire Tabouret at Notre-Dame by end of 2026, replacing Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century designs. The move faces a 300,000-signature petition and legal challenges from preservationist groups arguing it breaches heritage laws.
Macron faces open pressure from 52 former French diplomats and 50 former British ones who published a letter in Le Monde demanding he and PM Burnham impose joint sanctions on Israel: an arms-transfer ban, a freeze on the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and a ban on trade with settlements.
Key relationships
Macron visited London on Aug 27 for bilateral talks with Burnham, the first EU leader to do so since Burnham took office. They co-chaired a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv and face joint pressure from former diplomats to sanction Israel.
PM Lecornu is managing wildfire evacuations and firefighter response on Macron's behalf, drafting a revised under-15 social media ban after the Constitutional Council struck down the first version, and pushing to pass the 2027 budget before elections amid Socialist threats to withhold support.
Macron promised Zelenskyy to accelerate delivery of French air-defense equipment and missiles after Russia's deadly Aug 21-22 strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv.
Macron congratulated Modi on India's 80th Independence Day, citing the Special Global Strategic Partnership established in February 2026 and designating 2026 as the India-France Year of Innovation with joint work on Small Modular Reactors, clean energy, space, and deep tech.
Macron and Merz signed a defense pact at Nörvenich Air Base bringing German conventional forces into France's Poker nuclear exercise, and co-chaired a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv to coordinate air defense for Ukraine.
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