Following tensions in German-French relations, Chancellor Scholz is today meeting French President Macron and Polish Prime Minister Tusk. The central question is: What happens next in supporting Ukraine?
Let’s start with the positive: Since Donald Tusk’s election, the Weimar Triangle has come back to life. During Tusk’s inaugural visit to Berlin exactly a month ago, the Chancellor had a bumpy language. “Mr. Prime Minister, dear Donald, you… you have just come from Paris.” Siezen or first name?
But Olaf Scholz was clear on the matter: “The close cooperation between our three countries, Germany, Poland and France, is very important to all of us. That’s why I also propose that the Weimar Triangle be given new impetus at the level of heads of state and government, to develop new impulses for the European Union.”
How to help Ukraine?
New impulses are nice, perhaps also with a view to the upcoming EU summit in a week. However, the first three-way meeting today in the Chancellery will primarily focus on the bitter reality on the continent – the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
“It’s a concrete and very practical question: is there enough ammunition? Is there enough artillery? Is there enough air defense? And discussing this with each other again and moving it forward is what’s needed at this moment,” said Scholz.
Germany and France in particular have been arguing over support for Ukraine for weeks. The German Chancellor has at least indirectly accused Paris of not supplying enough weapons – which caused anger among the French. At the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron brought Western ground troops into play at a memorable Ukraine conference.
German-French tensions
Macron’s NATO troop advance was categorically rejected by the Chancellor and also by Poland’s Prime Minister Tusk. But in a speech in Prague, Macron doubled down: “We are approaching a moment in Europe in which we cannot be cowards.” Macron did not name the addressee, but the message was probably aimed at the Germans.
This alone shows that the relationship between Paris and Berlin has not been so strained for a long time. There are different strategic approaches between Scholz and Macron: While Macron relies on European sovereignty militarily, Scholz continues to trust in the protection of the Americans – similar to Poland. President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Tusk were in Washington just this week.
But Scholz and Macron are also concerned with power and leadership in Europe. And a lot of porcelain was recently broken.
“I would call it very friendly”
This is probably why the Chancellor has repeatedly contradicted the impression that there is a fundamental dispute this week: “Emmanuel Macron and I have a very good, personal relationship. I would call it very friendly. And we talked about many things, even those that have nothing to do with our current politics. There is also a good common understanding of each other and that helps with everything we have to do.”
Before today’s meeting with Tusk, Scholz and Macron will meet for a personal discussion in the Chancellery. They want to get rid of German-French discord – again.