Macron: Being a US ally does not mean being a vassal

During a press conference in Amsterdam on Taiwan, French President Emmanuel Macron said that being an ally of the United States does not mean being a vassal.

This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to AFP's Twitter.

"Being an ally does not mean being a vassal... doesn't mean that we don't have the right to think for ourselves," he said.

As reported by Ukrinform, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived in the Netherlands for a two-day state visit amid criticism of his comments on Europe's position on China and Taiwan.

After returning from a three-day state visit to China, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe is not interested in escalating the crisis over Taiwan and should stick to its own strategy in relations with the island, independent of both the United States and China.

Politicians in Germany and the Czech Republic criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's statements on Taiwan and European countries' dependence on the United States.

The head of the Polish government, Mateusz Morawiecki, warned some European leaders against attempts to promote a policy of "strategic autonomy" from the United States in Europe, calling instead for the development of strategic cooperation between Europe and Washington.