Macron and Mitsotakis Renew Defense Pact to Bolster EU Autonomy

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Athens on April 24-25, 2026, to renew a bilateral security and defense pact with Greece for five years. The 3-billion-euro agreement, originally established in 2021, mandates mutual assistance if either nation is attacked and includes Greece's procurement of 24 Rafale fighter jets and four frigates. Alongside the defense treaty, the two leaders signed nine additional accords covering energy, nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, and education. France also secured permanent deployment rights for its forces in Cyprus.

During the visit, Macron urged Europe to re-arm and seek strategic autonomy, characterizing U.S. President Donald Trump as neither reliable nor predictable. He argued that the EU's mutual assistance clause is "reinforced concrete" and an unambiguous commitment, citing a February 28 drone attack on a British airbase in Cyprus as a successful application of the clause. European Council President António Costa confirmed the EU is now designing a handbook to standardize this mutual assistance process.

The strategic pivot follows tensions between the U.S. and NATO allies over basing rights during operations to dismantle the regime in Iran, prompting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to call for a re-examination of the NATO relationship. Russia responded sharply to Macron's plans to expand France's nuclear arsenal and allow temporary deployments to European partners, with Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warning that Russia would update its list of priority targets for potential conflict.