Macron regrets Brazil rejecting Amazon aid

French President Emmanuel Macron is shrugging off Brazil's rejection of international aid to fight Amazon wildfires, saying the money is aimed at nine countries in the region and is a sign of friendship - not "aggressiveness."

Macron put the Amazon fires high on the agenda of the Group of Seven summit in France, where world powers pledged this week some $US40 million to fight the fires and plant new trees because of the Amazon's importance to the global environment.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused France and other rich countries of treating the region like a "colony."

In a diplomatic speech on Tuesday, Macron called that interpretation a "mistake." He said, "We would happily accept international solidarity, it's a sign of friendship."

He said the money isn't just aimed at Brazil but at nine countries in the Amazon region, including Colombia and Bolivia. France too considers itself an Amazon country via its overseas region of French Guiana.