This post was originally published on France24
In an exclusive interview, FRANCE 24 and Radio France International sit down with France’s minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, who was appointed to the job in September. We discuss France’s diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East, in Europe and in relation to Ukraine. Barrot addresses Donald Trump’s dramatic return to power in the US and insists that US tariffs on Europe – which Trump has said he will impose – would be a “major error”. Barrot says that, if Trump persists, France and Europe will defend their interests – their farmers and their industries – “with an iron will”. Barrot also stresses that Europe now needs to accelerate the strategic autonomy agenda, in the face of the “global transformation that is happening now”.