French President Emmanuel Macron has called the return of his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to the White House an "electroshock" that should compel Europe to take care of its own future and future of Ukraine.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to respond to "the electroshock" triggered by the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House with a new approach to defense and the economy.

Emmanuel Macron said Donald Trump has provided an “electroshock” to Europe with his interventions on Ukraine and tariffs. The French president said his US counterpart’s return to the White House could spark the EU to invest in its own defence, economy and technology.

Europe needs to “build muscle” in defense and the economy. “We need asymmetric shocks, we need external shocks. For Europeans, this is an exogenous shock,” he said, adding that Trump's return to the office should “push” the EU to invest in its own defense,