French President Emmanuel Macron said his
extended handshake with Donald Trump before a NATO summit was ânot innocentâ 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 âa moment of truth.â
âMy handshake with him was not innocent,â Macron said. âWe need to show that we wonât make small concessions, even symbolic ones, while not overhyping things either.â
In the interview,
Macron went on to compare Trumpâs attitude to power with that of Russiaâs Vladimir Putin and Turkeyâs Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan. âDonald Trump, the Turkish president or the Russian president believe in the logic of the trial of strength, which doesnât bother me. I donât believe in the diplomacy of public invective, but in my bilateral dialogues, I donât let anything pass, that is how we are respected,â he said.