FILE - In this Saturday, March 19, 2016 file picture, French Army Chief of Staff, General Pierre de Villiers, arrives at the Elysee Palace to attend an emergency security meeting in Paris, France. France's military chief is urging the next president to ratchet up defense spending to better confront Islamic extremists and authoritarian states that increasingly rely on military muscle. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File) (The Associated Press)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday accepted the resignation of the leader of his nation’s armed forces, in a dispute over military budget cuts, Reuters reported.
Gen. Pierre de Villiers, 60, said in a statement that financial constraints imposed by Macron were making it difficult to do his job.
“In the current circumstances I see myself as no longer able to guarantee the robust defense force I believe is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people, today and tomorrow, and to sustain the aims of our country,” he said.
According to Reuters, Macron and de Villiers had argued fiercely over Macron’s move to slash 850 million euros (nearly $1 billion) in defense spending.
The Associated Press reported that the general strongly objected to Macron’s defense cuts last week during a parliamentary commission meeting, a setting that Macron said was not appropriate for the remarks.
U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron meet in Paris on July 13, 2017. (Associated Press)
The AP reported that Macron had initially pledged to increase defense spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product by 2025 as part of the country’s commitment to NATO.
President Trump had criticized America’s NATO partners, saying many had not been paying their fair share in supporting the Western military alliance.
Trump met with Macron in France earlier this month.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.