It was not just the countries bordering Russia that were unhappy with Macron. Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius said, “I found this comment unfortunate but I think the Elysée Palace has corrected it somewhat. We have never been in danger of becoming or being a vassal of the United States.” Norbert Röttgen of the German party CDU commented, “With his idea of sovereignty, which he defines in demarcation rather than partnership with the USA, he is increasingly isolating himself in Europe.” Metin Hakverdi of Olaf Schulz’s SPD was clearly on the same page, saying, “it is a grave mistake for the West to allow itself to be divided in its dealings with Beijing of all places.”

Obviously, most of NATO’s European members, far from seeing the US as an overbearing hegemon, see it as crucial in maintaining the Continent’s security at an increasingly perilous time. Europe needs America. It needs a country that projects power and acts decisively and with longevity, which the EU conspicuously cannot do.