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00:00French President Emmanuel Macron said he will name a new prime minister within days in a
00:06televised evening address.
00:10In an exclusive Euronews interview, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
00:15has warned Donald Trump of paradise between Ukraine and Afghanistan.
00:20As mass protests gripped Georgia, Zelensky sanctioned the pro-Russian part of the country's
00:25government he says is surrendering to Putin.
00:30Defence Minister takes all responsibility for military's actions as South Korean parliament
00:34prepares to vote for the president's impeachment.
00:37Accused with high treason, they might face the death penalty.
00:41French President Emmanuel Macron said he will name a new prime minister within days in a
00:46televised evening address.
00:49This followed a no-confidence vote that toppled Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Wednesday.
00:55During Macron's address, he accused the extremes of uniting in an anti-republican front.
01:01I will never assume the irresponsibility of others, especially parliamentarians who have
01:08consciously chosen to bring down the budget and the government of France a few days before
01:13Christmas.
01:15The political dispute stemmed from disagreements over the 2025 budget.
01:21While Macron thanked the former Prime Minister Barnier, he became the shortest-serving head
01:26of government under the Fifth Republic.
01:28Macron also took the occasion to remind the French that they had 30 months left under
01:33his mandate.
01:34With a deficit of 6.2% GDP, France already has the worst budget imbalance in the Eurozone.
01:45The collapse of the French government by a vote of no confidence and snap parliamentary
01:55elections in February in Germany, entangled in domestic political crises, Paris and Berlin
02:02could now lose influence on the European stage.
02:06Could the breakdown of the Franco-German engine in turn weaken the European Union?
02:12There is a lack of political stability in several countries, not just France and Germany.
02:18For example, in Romania and Belgium, there were phases where there was no government.
02:23The problem with France and Germany is that without these two countries, European politics
02:28becomes very complicated, since they remain the strongest democratically and the most
02:33important economically.
02:34So having no government in Germany until June 2025 and having a very complicated situation
02:40in France means that it will be more complicated for the European Commission to have ambitious
02:46initiatives.
02:48Political instability on both sides of the Rhine comes at a critical time.
02:53As Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, he threatens to raise tariffs
02:58and leaves doubt about his support for Ukraine.
03:03The new Commission, which has just taken office, must also take urgent decisions on competitiveness
03:09and defense.
03:11It is clear that in order to advance the defense policy at the level of the European Union,
03:17we need to be really strong.
03:19These are the two countries that have already launched large-scale projects between companies
03:27like Airbus, Dassault, in the case of industrial cooperation projects like the SCAF, but also
03:33of joint tanks like the MGCS.
03:37In the face of the declining Franco-German leadership, other countries such as Donald
03:42Tusk's Poland or the UK, although it has left the EU, could step up, especially on
03:47defense and security issues.
03:51However, the cars are far from being redistributed.
03:54Germany and France together account for almost half of the EU's GDP, nearly one-third of
04:00its population, and about one-third of its budget.
04:06As the French government disintegrates following a no-confidence vote against its Prime Minister,
04:16demonstrators took to the streets to protest his proposed budget bill, which prompted the
04:21motion.
04:22Prime Minister Michel Barnier proposed to slash €40 billion in public spending and
04:27raise taxes by €20 billion.
04:30Public service unions called for a national day of action and strike as Barnier's budget
04:34was deemed unacceptable by many.
04:55Protesters expressed concerns about the proposed budget, particularly regarding compensation
05:00and sick leave for civil servants.
05:02As the country waits to see what will happen with the next government.
05:10Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen believed that Ukraine could become
05:16a member of NATO if the war with Russia should end.
05:20In an exclusive interview with Euronews, he invited US President-elect Donald Trump to
05:25avoid Ukraine becoming his Afghanistan.
05:29I have a very clear message to the new president in the US, Trump.
05:36I would say to him, don't let Ukraine become your Afghanistan.
05:44Don't let Putin defeat you.
05:47Be a strong leader.
05:50Seek peace in Ukraine, but a fair, a just and lasting peace that will guarantee security
05:58of Ukraine in the future.
06:01Rasmussen believed that with Trump's support, an end to the war might be possible, but it
06:07would require military support.
06:12President Trump does not like to be a loser.
06:17He wants to be the winner.
06:21And to be a winner, you need a good deal.
06:26And a good deal in Ukraine would require some leverage.
06:31You can do that by providing more weapons for Ukraine.
06:35You can do it by lifting all restrictions on the use of those weapons.
06:41So it might well be that Putin would be negatively surprised by President Trump.
06:48One of the crucial negotiating terms would be the future of Ukraine.
06:52And although Russia could see it as a provocation, the former NATO Secretary General thinks that
06:58Ukraine should become a member of the alliance.
07:01A good peace would be a fair and just peace that would be accepted by the Ukrainian people.
07:10The Ukrainian people have suffered so much in blood and treasure that a settlement that
07:18will guarantee security of Ukraine in the future.
07:21And in my opinion, the only ironclad security guarantee would be to allow Ukraine into NATO
07:32and be covered by NATO's Article 5.
07:36He agrees that more investment will be needed to increase NATO security.
07:41Each member must increase GDP spending on the alliance from 2 to 3 percent.
07:51Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced sanctions against the pro-Russian part of the Georgian government.
07:58As protests gripped Georgia, Zelensky stressed the importance of standing united against Moscow
08:05and not losing countries in the region, naming Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as examples.
08:12These are sanctions against the part of the government in Georgia that gives Georgia to Putin.
08:18This is what the protests are against in Georgia.
08:21It is important that partners also speak about their position,
08:25state honestly what is happening and that we should act.
08:41Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators,
08:44who built barricades and threw fireworks at police.
08:50As Poland prepares to become the next president of the Council of the European Union,
08:55Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he is willing to sustain controversial measures on migration,
09:02despite criticism from the bloc.
09:04The remarks were made during a meeting with the President of the European Parliament,
09:09Roberta Metzola, in Warsaw this Thursday.
09:12Not everyone is delighted with Polish initiatives,
09:18such as the possibility of a temporary suspension of asylum applications.
09:21I know that it arouses emotions in some people.
09:24This was also confirmed in today's meeting.
09:27But I just want to confirm that Poland will certainly carry out tough politics here at the national level.
09:35Metzola said Poland will face geopolitical challenges, including EU security and competitiveness.
09:42At this very critical moment we are facing enormous challenges,
09:48with Russia threatening our borders and trying to destabilize democracies
09:54with our companies that are trailing American and Chinese rivals.
10:00Poland's presidency will start on the 1st of January
10:04and last for six months.
10:11South Korea's President, Yeon Suk-kyo, replaced his defense minister, Kim Jong-un,
10:15as opposition parties moved to impeach both men over the short-lived martial law that the parliament annulled.
10:21Minister Kim offered to resign and apologize for causing disruption and concern to the public,
10:26saying troops acted on his instructions and that all responsibility lies with him.
10:31The joint motion to impeach the president was forwarded to the National Assembly to be voted on Saturday evening.
10:37Meanwhile, in protest of the president, large crowds gathered outside the parliament for a candlelit vigil.
10:46Yoon, on the other hand, who risks being prosecuted for high treason,
10:50hasn't appeared in public since his televised announcement that martial law was lifted.
10:55Opposition lawmakers already voted on Thursday to impeach the chairman of South Korea's auditing board
11:00and three top public prosecutors.
11:02The prosecutors were accused of watering down an investigation involving Yoon's wife,
11:06who was linked to suspected stock price manipulation.
11:09Impeaching the president would require support from two-thirds of the National Assembly,
11:13which is 200 of its 300 members.
11:16The opposition parties together have 192 seats,
11:19with support from 18 lawmakers that belong to an anti-Yoon faction in his party.
11:23But this faction said they would work against the impeachment.
11:27If Yoon is impeached, he will be suspended until the Constitutional Court rules on whether to remove him from office.
11:33High treason is punishable by death under South Korean law.
11:36The country retains the death penalty, but it has not carried out any executions since 1997.