French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Berlin on Friday to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and address growing tensions over Ukraine, Politico reports. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will join them later, marking the first Weimar Triangle meeting since Tusk’s return to office in December 2023.
Tensions between France and Germany escalated in late February when Macron didn’t rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine, while Scholz opposed the idea.
Macron later suggested that Europe must “not be cowards,” prompting a response from German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who said Macron’s comments were “something which does not really help solve the issues we have when it comes to helping Ukraine.”
German officials complain privately that while Macron has talked tough on Ukraine, he has not followed up with nearly as much military support as Germany has provided or promised, which is about €17.7 billion.
France disputes these figures, arguing that they provide the most crucial weapons.“France has opted for operational efficiency in its military aid to Ukraine: promise what you can deliver, deliver what you can promise,” Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote on X.
Macron recently postponed a planned visit to Ukraine to allow time for talks with allies.
Read more:
- Politico: Macron delays Ukraine visit, seeking “tangible results” from allied discussions first
- Ukraine support cannot have limits, Macron tells French party leaders
- Macron says Ukraine’s allies must not be cowards, rise up
- Macron doesn’t rule out sending troops to Ukraine
