Is America still the leader of the free world? After French president Emmanuel Macron called for Europe to seek its own path, some think the axis of global power is shifting.
Leader’s warning to Europe: ‘Don’t follow USA’
Frosty? Both Biden and Macron affirmed their commitment to Ukraine last week. Glossary
Emmanuel Macron - The current president of France, nicknamed "Jupiter" after the chief of the Roman deities for his top-down manner of governance.
Xi Jinping - The president of China, who has concentrated power and removed term limits allowing him to serve for life.
Taiwan - An island country in east Asia. China still claims to be the legitimate owner of Taiwan, while the Taiwanese government until recently claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole of China.
Cold War - A period of diplomatic conflict between blocs led by the USA and the USSR that lasted from 1947 until 1991, when the USSR collapsed.
USSR - The United Socialist Soviet Republic, the USA’s main rival in the Cold War before it collapsed and broke up into a number of smaller states in 1991.
Balkans - A region of southern Europe, south of Austria and Hungary. It was traditionally seen as the meeting point between the Christian and Muslim worlds.
Natural gas - Hydrocarbon-rich gases that are found naturally in the atmosphere. A fossil fuel energy source.
Loggerheads - In dispute with - likely stemming from a 17th-century word for a tool used for heating liquids. Loggerheads is also the name of two British villages.
Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.
Vassal - A person or state in a subordinate position to another.