“Unity, Responsibility, and a Europe That Can Decide”: Philippe Étienne on Ukraine, NATO, and Strategic Sovereignty | LFPR Vol. 44, 2026

This text is excerpted from Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review, Vol. 44 (2026).

Philippe Étienne – former Ambassador of France to the United States (2019-2023) and chairman of Liberation Mission – reflects on Europe’s response to Russia’s war, Ukraine’s path to the EU and NATO, transatlantic dynamics in the Trump era, France’s nuclear debate, and the state of French-Lithuanian ties. Questions by Linas Kojala.

Linas Kojala: As we approach the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, how would you assess the Western response so far – in terms of sanctions, military and financial support, and political unity?

Philippe Étienne: We have immediately (when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022) shown unity both between the Europeans and the U.S., and inside the EU, even if some argue that the answer should have been stronger at the very beginning instead of the incremental increase of the sanctions and military support we have witnessed. Back in 2022, you will remember that the then French Presidency of the European Union obtained a consensus on the prospect for Ukraine and Moldova to become full members of the EU and (at the informal summit in Versailles, 10/11 March) got a clear political statement by all Member States on the pathway to a true European sovereignty/independence in energy (related to Russian imports), defence and economy. It is true that Hungary has since then objected to the intensification of sanctions but without blocking them. In other words, we can consider that, facing the increased aggressivity of

Russia, the Europeans have displayed unity. It is obviously not easy to sustain this flow of support, including through the next years, including the financial support to Ukraine, but it is vital to do so.

Linas Kojala: Do you see a realistic pathway for Ukraine to join the European Union and NATO? From your perspective, what remain the key obstacles to achieving these goals?

Philippe Étienne: I think the questions of NATO and EU accession should not necessarily be seen together in spite of the fact that the context is the same. As I recalled, the principle of the EU accession has been agreed. It will take time and we know the difficulties, not only related to the war but also to the size and the specificities of the candidate, with not easy negotiations ahead on agriculture and budgets for instance. But the security and financial support given by Europe already creates some favourable conditions for approximating the EU and Ukraine. Moreover, this accession would directly contribute to the strategic autonomy of the European Union, at many levels. The Ukrainians are showing every day with their courageous resistance their capacity of innovation and resilience and their contribution to our common objectives. As far as NATO accession is concerned, we have other partners involved, starting with the United States, and the link with any future postwar security arrangements is still more obvious. But NATO does already play today an important role in supporting Ukraine and to improve the security of its most exposed members. And the coalition of the willing launched by France and the UK shows how anyway the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine have to be to be seriously tackled.

Linas Kojala: Many observers believe that the start of President Trump’s second term in 2025 marks a new phase in transatlantic relations. Given your extensive experience in the United States, do you share this view? How would you describe the current state of the transatlantic partnership?

Philippe Étienne: Everybody recognizes the shift brought by the re-election of Donald Trump but we should also see one basic element of continuity. For years now, and independently of who is President, America has been calling the Europeans to carry their fair share in the security of our countries and our continent. The recent NATO summit in The Hague has brought good news in this respect but it is not only a question of money. It is also a question of vision and political will. My experience of the U.S. is that our American Ally will remain committed in the long term to our European security only if we, Europeans, are able to display a real commitment and sufficient (material and political) investment in what is primarily our responsibility. We have been seeing recently some encouraging signals in this respect with a number of new programs funded by the EU budget aiming at increasing the European defence-industrial capability, and its capacity to coordinate across our borders in Europe.

Linas Kojala: In recent months, President Trump has repeatedly praised NATO – a contrast to his earlier criticisms. Do you see this as a genuine shift in his approach, or a tactical adjustment?

Philippe Étienne: As I said the Americans will support all the more NATO if their European Allies are really decided to do more. The support of Ukraine here is an essential test by the way. The more positive statements of President Trump you mention follow the positive outcome of the summit in the Netherlands. But the Europeans should not entertain the illusion that we are back to the situation from some years ago. The world is changing fast and we have to adapt, in particular in stepping up our efforts for our own defence.

Linas Kojala: European countries, led by France, have pursued a dual strategy: keeping the United States engaged in Europe and Ukrainian security, while simultaneously strengthening Europe’s own defense capabilities. Has sufficient progress been made on this front? And can Europe realistically aspire to true strategic sovereignty in defence in the near future?

Philippe Étienne: I already explained how these two goals, keeping the U.S. engaged and strengthening our European capabilities, are intertwined. Sovereignty does not mean separation from our most important Ally, but it in defence or in any other field. It means that we are able to take the decisions in our own interests without every time asking the Americans to come and help us. Again, this is the best way to convince them that they should remain committed to our Alliance and ready to step in when their support is really essential to our common security. Unfortunately, the world we live in is not becoming less dangerous, on the contrary; all of us, we still need this alliance between countries sharing the same basic values.

Linas Kojala: President Macron has reopened the discussion on extending the French nuclear deterrent to other European countries – a proposal that has been received positively in parts of Central and Northern Europe. However, experts note that France’s nuclear doctrine remains unchanged and that technical limitations persist. How do you interpret this initiative and its potential significance?

Philippe Étienne: It is not my intention to interpret a doctrine of nuclear deterrence which has been exposed by clearly a couple of times by President Macron, and by his predecessors, in dedicated speeches. These speeches are the essential references in this domain. Our President had already proposed in the past to open a dialogue with our European partners. What is new is not this proposal but the fact that, due probably to the worsening international context, some of these partners have recently shown interest in this proposal which is indeed a positive evolution.

Linas Kojala: Finally, how would you characterize the current state of French-Lithuanian relations? What role does Lithuania play in France’s broader discourse on European security and the vision of a “common European home”?

Philippe Étienne: Lithuania is an important partner of France in the Baltic region considering our bilateral relations, as well as our cooperation within NATO, EU and on the multilateral scene, in all realms. Our countries renewed their strategic partnership earlier this year, as a sign of friendship but furthermore it shows our joint willingness to reinforce our concrete cooperation in key areas like defence and security.

Lithuania is an important partner of France in the Baltic region considering our bilateral relations, as well as our cooperation within NATO, EU and on the multilateral scene, in all realms. Our countries renewed their strategic partnership earlier this year, as a sign of friendship but but above all it shows our joint willingness to reinforce our concrete cooperation in key areas like defence and security.

Your country brings high value to its our European Union with its historical experience and its understanding of the elements which are today common threats. Lithuania was actually the first and most vocal EU member State to back and support our President’s discourse discourse on strategic ambiguity. It seems that together, we can deepen our common analysis and better build our European sovereignty. We can also reinforce our cooperation within the new EDIP and SAFE program. To continue to build our “common European home”, the upcoming Lithuanian EU Presidency will be key to work closer.

Read the full publication here.