The fact that the relationship between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is terrible has long been the worst-kept secret in Europe.
The alliance between the historical foes France and Germany is the cornerstone of Western European Defense strategy, and the patent lack of understanding between the highly unpopular leaders Macron and Scholz is widely seen as a major problem.
To try to remedy the present state of affairs, Macron will travel to Berlin on Friday (15) to meet Chancellor Scholz.
They aim to reduce tensions over Ukraine which have become so very public in recent weeks.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will also be present in a second meeting later in the day.
When the three leaders assemble, it will mark the first meeting of what they are calling the ‘Weimar Triangle’.
They hope to put on a display of unity after all the Franco-German frictions over Ukraine.
Politico reported:
“Long-simmering tensions began to boil over in late February when Macron refused to rule out sending Western troops to fight in Ukraine, vowing to do ‘whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war’. A more cautious Scholz shot back, ruling out the use of ground troops from European countries.
Days later, Macron appeared to respond directly to Scholz. ‘Europe clearly faces a moment when it will be necessary not to be cowards’, he told an audience in Prague. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius replied that Macron’s comments were ‘something which does not really help solve the issues we have when it comes to helping Ukraine’.”
German officials have a legitimate beef with Macron, that talks tough on Ukraine, but spends precious little, not nearly as much military support as Germany has provided.
“Germany’s Kiel Institute, which compiles national contributions to Ukraine’s war effort, ranks France as a clear laggard with €640 million in military aid compared to Germany, which has provided or promised €17.7 billion.
The French contest those figures, and counter that they give the weapons that really matter. ‘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 recently said in a post on X.”
Macron and Scholz will hold their bilateral meeting at noon, followed by a trilateral discussion with Tusk.
The Weimar triangle is described by them as a ‘vehicle for strengthening European security’.
Tusk is widely considered by Polish opposition to be a German pawn, but lately, his government has followed the Macron line of defending military escalation more.
“Officials in Tusk’s government have expressed sympathy for Macron’s tougher rhetoric, with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski saying recently that the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is ‘not unthinkable’.”
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The post FRANCO-GERMAN DRAMA: Estranged Macron and Scholz To Meet, Try to End the Rift Between Them – Polish PM Tusk Will Also Participate appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.