Leaders of France and Greece say the EU's defense splurge is no alternative to the NATO alliance

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union’s ongoing push to bolster its own defensive capabilities isn’t intended to spawn an alternative to the NATO alliance but to answer a long-standing U.S. call for the continent to take charge of its own security, the French president said Saturday.

Emmanuel Macron said Europe mustn’t act to weaken NATO, which connects the continent with its American ally. Instead, Europeans are now stepping up to meet Washington’s demand made over the past decade “sometimes nicely, sometimes less nicely” to take care of their own security.

“The lesson we must draw is, let us no longer be dependent,” Macron said after talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “We Europeans must strengthen this European pillar of NATO, we must strengthen this Europe of defense — not against anyone, not as an alternative to anything.”

Mitsotakis echoed the French president, saying the U.S. should be pleased that the EU is taking its own self-reliance seriously and investing more in its own defense, calling the American demand to spend more “justified.”

After traveling to Cyprus for an informal European Union leaders’ summit, Macron visited the Greek capital to renew a 2021 defense partnership between France and Greece that includes a mutual assistance clause in case of an armed attack against either.

“This mutual assurance and assistance clause is inviolable, and it is not up for debate between us,” Macron said. “So there are no question marks, no doubts to be entertained — and all our potential, or real, enemies need to be very clear about that.”

The 3-billion-euro agreement included the purchase of 24 Rafale fighter jets and four state-of-the-art frigates including the Kimon, which Macron and Mitsotakis visited Saturday.

Greece, which has long had troubled relations with its eastern neighbor Turkey, has been overhauling its military capabilities, and much of its defense procurement has come from France. Among those is the French MICA anti-air-missile system that can be used by aircraft, land forces and warships.

Both leaders hailed the agreement as an example for other EU partners to follow and boost the 27-member bloc’s competitiveness. Mitsotakis encouraged EU leaders to drop “national egotism” that pulls a protective curtain over their domestic industry and move forward with more mergers to produce economies of scale.

Macron underscored the need for European industry to innovate and win back consumers with better, more desirable products that will finance the EU’s defense goals.

“All of us Europeans — the Franco-Greek relationship is a prime example — need to buy more European products, produce more European goods, and innovate more within Europe," he said.

Both leaders referred to Article 42.7, the EU’s own mutual defense clause, that Macron said wasn’t “just empty words.” The French president pointed to both countries’ rush to assist fellow EU member Cyprus by dispatching warships there in early March after a Shahed drone struck a British base on the island nation during the Iran war.

The French president warned against instigating panic with talk about fuel shortages as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz from which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes. He said the fuel supply remains “under control” and that he doesn’t foresee any shortages.

He said Europe remains focused on helping to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, although he acknowledged that it will take some time for the situation to return to normal.

Mitsotakis said Greece, as a global shipping power, wants any diplomatic solution to include a “non-negotiable” clause for the complete and unimpeded freedom of navigation through the strait without exacting tolls from ships, as was the case prior to the start of the Iran war.

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron after a media conference at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron after a media conference at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, and France's President Emmanuel Macron participate in a media conference at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

After years of preparation, a supersized World Cup has finally arrived.

This year's tournament — which is hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — was expanded to 48 teams that will play in 16 stadiums in a record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament.

Mexico gets the World Cup started Thursday and will be a heavy favorite when it hosts South Africa in Mexico City. The second game of the day will be between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams are part of Group A.

Canada and the United States will host their first games Friday. The Canadians will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto while the Americans face Paraguay in Inglewood, California.

Fox is the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the World Cup with all 104 matches in English on Fox or FS1. All matches are also available on the Fox One app. Telemundo and Universo will broadcast all of the matches in Spanish. Peacock is the streaming home for Spanish language broadcasts while Telemundo also has an app that includes all the matches.

Boosted by a home crowd and a star-studded opening ceremony with performances that include Andrea Bocelli and homegrown talent like Alejandro Fernández and Maná, Mexico hopes to play better in this World Cup than in 2022, when it failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1978. El Tri will be led by veteran Raúl Jiménez and 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will be competing in the World Cup for a record sixth time. South Africa is playing in its fourth World Cup and first since it hosted the tournament in 2010.

The games in Mexico will be played at high elevation. The Azteca stadium in Mexico City is at roughly 7,300 feet while Guadalajara sits at 5,138 feet, meaning visiting teams will have to make a significant adjustment to the altitude.

South Korea is one of the best teams in Asia and has qualified for 11 tournaments in a row since 1986. The Koreans made it to the round of 16 in 2022 before losing to Brazil. Son Hueng-min, 33, is the captain and might be playing in his last World Cup. The Czech Republic is back in soccer's biggest showcase for the first time in 20 years.

FIFA has faced pressure for sky-high World Cup ticket prices and sales tactics that fans say left them with worse deals than they wanted.

The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced last month that they are investigating whether FIFA’s ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.

Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.

In the deeply polarized U.S., few things unite elected leaders outside the White House quite like skepticism of Gianni Infantino and FIFA, the governing body for the world’s most popular sport.

It’s a sentiment that cuts across the divide and spans from Washington to state capitals and city halls.

There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who’ve balked at ticket prices. Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who played Division 1 soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy, said FIFA has been “detached from regular people around the world.”

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Mexico fans celebrate in the second half during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

South Africa's Nkosinathi Sibisi, right, and Mexico's Raul Jimenez battle for the ball in the second half during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Mexico's Raul Jimenez hugs teammate Roberto Alvarado, right, after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Mexico's Raul Jimenez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

United States defender Chris Richards, front left, gives autographs to fans after the nationall team's first practice at its World Cup soccer tournament training base in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

Canada's Cyle Larin speaks to media during a World Cup soccer training session in Toronto, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)

People chant and cheer during a protest in reaction to FIFA's ban of Iran's pre-revolutionary flag inside World Cup stadiums Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)

Marktweg Street in The Hague, Netherlands, is decorated ahead of the start of the soccer World Cup, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

A dancer performs along Reforma Avenue in Mexico City, Saturday, June 6, 2026 ahead of the FIFA World Cup. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)