Notes from Wikiquote
Reported in 1965 by french weekly news magazine L'Express. De Gaulle allegedly made this remark in a cabinet meeting to Minister of Foreign Affairs Maurice Couve de Murville. There is, however, no hard proof of this story. | It is reminiscent of de Gaulles Quote Men may have friends, statesmen cannot (see above). It is also reminiscent of a quote by british Prime Minister Henry Temple, also known as Lord Palmerston, who said in 1848: We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow. Link
Variants
of this quote include France has no friends, only interests or States have no friends, only interests. But there is no evidence of de Gaulle actually saying these.