ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called on European leaders to show “coherence” in their response to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, urging a unified diplomatic and humanitarian approach.

“I really want us to collectively wake up here about the coherence we must uphold on these matters. Deep down, we can see it: all these situations show the need for peace, the obvious necessity of returning to diplomacy,” Macron said at the opening of the sixth European Political Community summit in Albania.

Referring to what he described as an “unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Macron called for an “immediate ceasefire” and a coordinated humanitarian response.

He also said recent developments showed that Russia had no genuine intention of halting its war on Ukraine without further international pressure.

“I believe that recent hours have shown that Russia has no real intention of achieving this (ceasefire) unless there is increased pressure from Europeans and Americans,” he said, pointing to peace negotiations hosted in Türkiye.

Security, trade and interference

Macron warned of growing security challenges within Europe, citing persistent foreign interference and disinformation campaigns that threaten democratic stability.

“We very clearly face threats that undermine the integrity of our democracies, that erode their resilience, and we suffer from manipulations during electoral periods, but also from foreign informational interference nearly all the time. And this is something that undermines the democratic security of our world,” he said.

The French leader also emphasized the strategic importance of Europe’s internal market and urged stronger commercial integration.

He called for lowering tariff barriers to strengthen economic unity, saying Europe must act with the “extraordinary power” of its shared market to remain competitive and resilient.