Speaking alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to Athens, Macron said Article 42.7 of the European Union treaty was explicit in obliging member states to assist one another in the event of armed aggression.

“On Article 42, paragraph seven, we know that for us, it is clear and there is no room for interpretation or ambiguity,” Macron told reporters at a joint news conference.The provision, often described as the EU’s equivalent of NATO’s collective defense principle, requires member states to provide aid and assistance to a fellow member subjected to armed attack on its territory.

Macron’s remarks come as EU leaders have asked officials to prepare a detailed blueprint clarifying how the clause would function operationally, reflecting a broader reassessment of Europe’s strategic autonomy and defense readiness.

The renewed focus follows mounting concern among European governments over Washington’s long-term commitment to NATO, particularly after repeated political debates in the United States over burden-sharing and military support for allies.

France has long argued for stronger independent European defense structures, with Macron repeatedly calling for greater strategic sovereignty and reduced reliance on U.S. military guarantees.Greece, which maintains one of the highest defense spending levels in the bloc relative to GDP, has supported efforts to deepen European security coordination, particularly amid ongoing regional tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

While Article 42.7 was invoked only once by France after the 2015 Paris attacks its practical implementation has remained largely undefined, prompting calls for clearer procedures on military, logistical, and political responses.

Officials say the new framework under discussion is intended to ensure that the clause can function credibly in future crises, especially as the EU faces simultaneous security pressures from Russia’s war in Ukraine and instability across the Middle East.

Macron’s comments in Athens are likely to reinforce ongoing debates within Europe over whether the bloc should move beyond economic integration toward a more explicit collective defense posture.

A NATO spokesperson described the trip as “long-planned,” with a White House official also confirming the visit, though no further details were disclosed.

The timing comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and its European partners over their limited support for U.S. actions in the Iran conflict.

Trump said he was weighing a U.S. exit from NATO after European members declined to contribute naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane disrupted during the war.

Speaking at a White House gathering, Trump criticized allies including France and the United Kingdom, describing NATO as ineffective and questioning its value to U.S. security interests. The visit by Rutte comes at a sensitive moment for the alliance, which has long been a cornerstone of transatlantic security since its founding in 1949.

Analysts say the rhetoric underscores deepening divisions within NATO over burden-sharing and strategic priorities, particularly in the context of the ongoing Iran war.

Trump’s remarks mark one of the most direct challenges to NATO’s cohesion in recent years, raising uncertainty about the future of U.S. commitment to the alliance as geopolitical tensions intensify.

Speaking in London, Albanese said the meeting was a chance to discuss the “strongly building” support for AUKUS between the two allies but would not be drawn on the position of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The AUKUS pact, sealed in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trump’s administration is undertaking a formal AUKUS review led by Elbridge Colby, a top Pentagon policy official and public critic of the agreement.

Asked if his meeting with Starmer gave him increased confidence that AUKUS would proceed, Albanese said: “I have always been confident about AUKUS going ahead.

“Every meeting I’ve had and discussions I’ve had with people in the U.S. administration have always been positive about AUKUS,” he said, according to an official transcript.

Under AUKUS – worth hundreds of billions of dollars – Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine.

Australia and Britain signed a treaty in July to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on AUKUS.

During his visit, Albanese is also expected to meet with King Charles, Australia’s official head of state.