Macron warns US, Indo-Pacific not to ditch Ukraine for potential China conflict

SINGAPORE (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned the U.S.and a large audience of Indo-Pacific nations Friday night that they risk a dangerous double standard as they concentrate on a potential conflict with China if that shift comes at the cost of abandoning Ukraine.Macron’s remarks come as the U.S.

is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific.He warned that abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S.

credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan.In a speech that emphasized France’s tight ties to the Indo-Pacific, Macron said that any shifts to developing a more hard-line deterrent stance in the region is still tied to how the world — and particularly the West — treats other critical issues, including climate change and Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.The speech was notable in that Macron delivered it with U.S.President Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the audience and as not only France, but countries around the globe are dealing with Trump’s fluctuating tariff threats.

Both Europe and those same Indo-Pacific nations also find themselves increasingly pulled between the competing interests of Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.“We want to cooperate.But we don’t want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life will change because of the decision of a single person,” Macron said, in an apparent jab at Trump that could have also been just as easily pointed at Xi.Macron and Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats and top defense officials in Singapore this weekend for a security forum that will focus on China’s growing assertiveness, the global impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the flare-up of conflicts in Asia.It’s Hegseth’s first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, which is taking place against the backdrop of heighten...