US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 200 percent tariffs on French wine and Champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron refused to join the Washington-led ‘Board of Peace’. This statement of Trump has come at a time when tension has increased between America and the European Union on many issues.
The ‘Board of Peace’ initiative was announced by Trump in September 2025 as part of his strategy to resolve the Gaza conflict. After this, expanding the scope of this initiative, America invited many global leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join efforts to resolve various international conflicts. Trump also said that he has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to become a member of the ‘Board of Peace’. However, France has decided to maintain distance from this initiative for the time being.
While talking to journalists on Monday (January 19) evening, Trump was asked about Macron’s statement in which he had said about not joining the ‘Board of Peace’. Responding to this, Trump said, “Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he’ll be out of office very soon. I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wine and champagne, and he’ll be in, but he doesn’t have to be in.”
In response, French President Macron said in clear words, “Tariff threats aimed at influencing France’s foreign policy are unacceptable and ineffective.”
Trump also shared a purported personal message from Macron on the social media platform Truth Social. In the message, the French president wrote that he could “organize a G7 meeting in Paris on Thursday with Ukrainians, Danes and Syrians,” adding, “Let’s try to build better things.”
Also on Monday, a source close to Macron confirmed that “France intends to decline the invitation to join this initiative at this stage.” According to the source, “(its) charter is not limited to the Gaza framework only. It raises big questions about respect for the principles and structure of the UN.” On the same day, the French Foreign Ministry also reiterated its commitment to the United Nations, calling it the cornerstone of effective multilateralism.
Just hours before Trump’s tariff threat, France had publicly mocked the US over the US President’s ambition to control Greenland. A satirical post from the French Foreign Ministry’s official X account criticized the arguments made by US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. The post read, “If there’s ever a fire and the firefighters will intervene, it’s better to burn the house down now. If there’s ever a shark attack and there’s going to be an intervention, it’s better to eat the lifeguard now. If there’s ever going to be an accident and there will be damage, it’s better to crash the car now.”
According to the draft charter of the ‘Board of Peace’, the proposal sent by the US to about 60 countries stipulates that if any country wants to maintain membership for more than three years, it will have to contribute $1 billion in cash. This amount is proposed to be used for global peacekeeping and conflict resolution activities. However, many governments have taken a cautious approach to the initiative and diplomats say the plan could harm the UN’s work.
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