Macron calls on French companies to suspend investments in US

In response to the new US tariffs, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged companies to halt their investments in the United States.

The pause should continue until the situation becomes clearer, the president said during a meeting at the Élysée Palace with representatives of industries affected by the recent US changes, Caliber.Az reports, citing the French press.

"What sense is there in large European players investing billions of euros in the American economy, while the US strikes at us? Collective solidarity is needed," he explained.

Macron described the tariffs as "a shock to international trade" and emphasized the importance of European unity in the face of this new challenge. According to him, retaliatory measures should be coordinated across industries throughout the continent.

He concluded that the US, whether through American corporations or citizens, would become weaker and poorer, as the tariffs would primarily affect the US economy.

On April 2, the US announced tariffs on goods from various countries around the world, ranging from 10% to 50%. For the EU, the tariff will be set at 20%, while for Lesotho and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (a French overseas territory), it will reach a maximum of 50%.

US President Donald Trump explained the tariffs by saying that the US had been "plundered, violated, and robbed by nations, both near and far, whether friends or enemies."

World leaders have reacted negatively to the tariff increases. In Germany, acting Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that "there will only be losers in this situation," while Economy Minister Robert Habeck compared the tariffs to the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

Chinese officials promised to introduce countermeasures. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also announced that the country was considering retaliatory measures, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also mentioned countermeasures.

The US did not impose tariffs on Russia and Belarus, as explained by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, because products from these countries are not imported into the United States.