French President Emmanuel Macron said his
extended handshake with Donald Trump before a NATO summit was ānot innocentā and intended to show he did not make even small concessions.
In an interview with the
Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday, the French leader said his interaction with the American head of state was āa moment of truth.ā
āMy handshake with him was not innocent,ā Macron said. āWe need to show that we wonāt make small concessions, even symbolic ones, while not overhyping things either.ā
In the interview,
Macron went on to compare Trumpās attitude to power with that of Russiaās Vladimir Putin and Turkeyās Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan. āDonald Trump, the Turkish president or the Russian president believe in the logic of the trial of strength, which doesnāt bother me. I donāt believe in the diplomacy of public invective, but in my bilateral dialogues, I donāt let anything pass, that is how we are respected,ā he said.