A third party was necessary to defuse tension during face-to-face meetings: such was the scenario of Friday's reconciliation between France and Germany in Berlin, attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, as evaluated by the French newspaper Le Figaro.
According to Le Figaro, the presence in Berlin of the new, decidedly pro-Western Prime Minister of Poland “was intended to add a little oil to the worn-out engine” of Franco-German relations, especially after Macron’s endorsement at the end of February for future deployment of Western ground forces to Ukraine, a move opposed by many NATO countries, including Germany.
In Berlin, the leaders of the three countries announced, among other things, plans for increased arms purchases for Kyiv on the global market, investments in military equipment production, including in cooperation with Ukrainian partners, and the formation of a coalition to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles.
The newspaper emphasized that France’s sudden shift towards the Kremlin “has changed the balance of power and perhaps reshuffled the cards in Russian and Ukrainian politics on the continent.”
Paris “has joined the resolute camp, previously mainly formed by Great Britain and Eastern European countries - the most vulnerable to Russian threats, having experienced the invasion of their powerful neighbor firsthand,” reads Le Figaro.
The newspaper noted that Macron’s change in approach is surprising, as since the time of President Jacques Chirac, France had disregarded small countries in Eastern Europe.
“Paris hopes that France and Poland, which have been very close since the change of political leadership in Warsaw, will ‘corner Germany’ and push it towards a more decisive stance against Russia,” wrote Le Figaro.
“There is no solid European project regarding Ukraine without the leading economic power of the continent,” added the French newspaper.
According to experts cited by the newspaper, Tusk’s involvement may not be enough to compensate for the “lack of strategic security dialogue between Paris and Berlin.”
In Berlin, the leaders of the three countries announced, among other things, plans for increased arms purchases for Kyiv on the global market, investments in military equipment production, including in cooperation with Ukrainian partners, and the formation of a coalition to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles.
The newspaper emphasized that France’s sudden shift towards the Kremlin “has changed the balance of power and perhaps reshuffled the cards in Russian and Ukrainian politics on the continent.”
Paris “has joined the resolute camp, previously mainly formed by Great Britain and Eastern European countries - the most vulnerable to Russian threats, having experienced the invasion of their powerful neighbor firsthand,” reads Le Figaro.
The newspaper noted that Macron’s change in approach is surprising, as since the time of President Jacques Chirac, France had disregarded small countries in Eastern Europe.
“Paris hopes that France and Poland, which have been very close since the change of political leadership in Warsaw, will ‘corner Germany’ and push it towards a more decisive stance against Russia,” wrote Le Figaro.
“There is no solid European project regarding Ukraine without the leading economic power of the continent,” added the French newspaper.
According to experts cited by the newspaper, Tusk’s involvement may not be enough to compensate for the “lack of strategic security dialogue between Paris and Berlin.”
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