Claude Malhuret, the french senator who exposed Trump

The Strategic Intelligence Institute (SII) is proud to announce that French Senator Claude Malhuret has been selected as the recipient of the Strategic Intelligence Institute Award (SIIA). This recognition is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage in defending liberal democracies, and Senator Malhuret’s powerful speech in the French Senate stands as a testament to his unwavering commitment to these ideals.

Senator Malhuret’s outspoken critique of U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, particularly regarding Ukraine and Russia, has resonated deeply within the political landscape of Europe and beyond. His speech, delivered in the French Senate, articulated a sobering warning: Europe stands at a critical juncture in its history, one where the American shield appears to be crumbling and the specter of authoritarianism threatens to engulf the continent.

Malhuret’s words about Trump — whom he describes as prioritizing deals with autocrats over the defense of democratic allies — are a clear call to action for those who stand for the values of liberty, peace, and sovereignty. He warns of the consequences of abandoning Ukraine, emphasizing that the defeat of Ukraine would be the defeat of Europe itself. He highlights how Putin’s objectives align with the Trumpian vision of a world dominated by spheres of influence, where the sovereignty of smaller nations is subjugated to the interests of great powers.

In his address, Malhuret speaks to the grave threat posed by the collapse of American support for Ukraine, urging European nations to accelerate military aid, strengthen their defenses, and confront the existential challenges posed by Russia. His call to arms for Europe’s moral and military rearmament has sparked an important conversation about Europe’s strategic autonomy and its role in global geopolitics.

"Europe will only become a military power again by becoming an industrial power," Malhuret states in his speech, stressing the need for significant investment in defense, modernization of European military systems, and the enhancement of European solidarity in the face of external threats. His vision is a European Union that not only unites in defense but also leads the world in technological and industrial innovation.

As a strong advocate for Ukraine and a committed voice against the forces of authoritarianism, Malhuret’s courage in speaking out against Trump’s capitulation to Putin is a vital contribution to the preservation of liberal democratic values. His recognition by the SII as the recipient of the SIIA is a well-deserved honor for his clarity, conviction, and vision for a democratic Europe that stands resolutely against tyranny.

The Strategic Intelligence Institute, a non-profit European think tank that decodes geopolitics for investors and businesses, is proud to support the defenders of liberal democracies. The SIIA, now presented for the third time, continues its tradition of honoring those who exemplify courage in the fight for freedom. Previous recipients include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose leadership and resilience have inspired the world during Ukraine’s struggle for sovereignty.

Senator Malhuret’s words resonate today more than ever: Europe must stand firm, not only against the threats of authoritarian regimes but in defense of the democratic values that have shaped the post-World War II order.

Long live free Ukraine. Long live democratic Europe.

Here is his original speech, translated in english from french:

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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unSSHfIs3U0

Europe is at a critical turning point in its history.

The American shield is crumbling, Ukraine risks being abandoned, and Russia is being strengthened.

Washington has become Nero’s court. A fiery emperor, submissive courtiers, and a jester on ketamine in charge of purging the civil service.

This is a tragedy for the free world, but it is primarily a tragedy for the United States.

Trump’s message is that it’s pointless to be his ally because he won’t defend you, he will impose higher tariffs on you than on his enemies, and he will threaten to seize your territories while supporting the dictatorships that invade you.

The king of the deal is now showing what the art of deal-making on your stomach looks like. He thinks he will intimidate China by groveling before Putin, but Xi Jinping, seeing such a shipwreck, is likely accelerating preparations for the invasion of Taiwan.

Never in history has a US president capitulated before the enemy.
Never has any president supported an aggressor against an ally.
Never has any president trampled on the US Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, revoked judges who could prevent him, dismissed the military leadership in one fell swoop, weakened all checks and balances, and taken control of social media.

This is not an illiberal drift; it is the beginning of the confiscation of democracy.

Let us remember that it only took a month, 3 weeks, and 2 days to bring down the Weimar Republic and its constitution.

I trust in the strength of American democracy, and the country is already protesting. But in one month, Trump has done more damage to America than in 4 years of his previous presidency.

We were at war with a dictator, now we are fighting against a dictator supported by a traitor.

Eight days ago, while Trump patted Macron on the back at the White House, the United States voted at the UN with Russia and North Korea against the Europeans calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Two days later, in the Oval Office, the military draft dodger gave moral and strategic lessons to the war hero Zelenskyy, before dismissing him like a stable boy, ordering him to submit or resign.

Last night, he took another step into infamy by halting the promised delivery of weapons.

What to do in the face of this betrayal? The answer is simple: stand firm.

And first, do not be mistaken: the defeat of Ukraine would be the defeat of Europe. The Baltic States, Georgia, and Moldova are already on the list. Putin’s goal is a return to Yalta, where half of the continent was handed over to Stalin.

The southern countries are waiting for the outcome of the conflict to decide whether they must continue to respect Europe or whether they are now free to trample on it.

What Putin wants is the end of the order established by the United States and its allies 80 years ago, with the first principle being the prohibition of acquiring territories by force.

This idea is at the very heart of the UN, where today, the Americans vote in favor of the aggressor and against the victim, because the Trumpian vision aligns with Putin’s.

A return to spheres of influence, where great powers dictate the fate of small countries.

– Give me Greenland, Panama, and Canada. You take Ukraine, the Baltic States, and Eastern Europe. He gets Taiwan and the South China Sea.

They call this "diplomatic realism" in the oligarch parties at Mar-a-Lago.

So, we are alone.

But the narrative that we cannot resist Putin is false. Contrary to Kremlin propaganda, Russia is in a bad state. In three years, the so-called second-largest army in the world has only managed to scrape crumbs from a country three times smaller. With interest rates at 25%, the collapse of currency and gold reserves, and a demographic collapse, it is on the brink of the abyss. The American push for Putin is the greatest strategic mistake ever made during a war.

The shock is violent, but it has a virtue. Europeans are coming out of denial. They understood in one day in Munich that the survival of Ukraine and the future of Europe are in their hands, and that they have three imperatives.

1. Accelerate military aid to Ukraine to compensate for the American abandonment, so it can hold on, and of course, to impose its presence and that of Europe in any negotiations. This will be costly, and the taboo on using frozen Russian assets must be lifted. We will need to bypass Moscow’s accomplices within Europe itself through a coalition of willing countries, with, of course, the UK.

2. Secondly, demand that any agreement be accompanied by the return of kidnapped children, prisoners, and absolute security guarantees. After Budapest, Georgia, and Minsk, we know the value of agreements with Putin. These guarantees require a sufficient military force to prevent further invasion.

3. Finally, and this is the most urgent – because it will take the most time – we must rebuild European defense, neglected in favor of the American umbrella since 1945 and sabotaged since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s a Herculean task, but it is on its success or failure that today’s democratic European leaders will be judged in the history books. Friedrich Merz has just declared that Europe needs its own military alliance. This acknowledges that France has been right for decades in advocating for strategic autonomy. Now, it must be built.

For this,

1. Massive investment will be necessary.
2. Strengthen the European Defense Fund outside of Maastricht’s debt criteria.
3. Harmonize weapons and ammunition systems.
4. Accelerate Ukraine’s entry into the Union – it is now Europe’s largest army.
5. Rethink the place and conditions of nuclear deterrence, based on French and British capabilities.
6. Relaunch missile shield and satellite programs.

The plan announced yesterday by Ursula Von der Leyen is a very good starting point, but much more is needed.

Europe will only become a military power again by becoming an industrial power. In short, the Draghi Report must be fully applied.

But Europe’s true rearmament is its moral rearmament. We must convince public opinion in the face of weariness and fear of war, and especially against Putin’s accomplices, the far-right and far-left. They still argued yesterday in the National Assembly, Mr. Prime Minister, before you, against European unity and European defense.

They claim to want peace, but what neither they nor Trump say is that their peace is capitulation, the peace of defeat, the replacement of "De Gaulle Zelenskyy" with a "Ukrainian Pétain" at Putin’s beck and call. The peace of the collaborators who have refused to offer any help to the Ukrainians for three years.

Is this the end of the Atlantic Alliance?

The risk is great, but in recent days, the public humiliation of Zelenskyy, and all the crazy decisions taken over the last month, have finally made the Americans react: polls are dropping, Republican lawmakers are being greeted by hostile crowds in their constituencies, even Fox News is becoming critical.

The Trumpists are no longer in power.

They control the executive, the Parliament, the Supreme Court, and social media, but in American history, those who championed freedom have always triumphed. They are beginning to raise their heads.

The fate of Ukraine is being decided in the trenches, but it also depends on those in the United States who want to defend democracy and here, on our ability to unite Europeans, to find the means for their common defense, and to make Europe the power it once was in history and hesitates to become again.

Our ancestors defeated fascism and communism at the cost of all sacrifices. The task of our generation is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the 21st century.

Long live free Ukraine.
Long live democratic Europe.