BERLIN Relations between Germany and France have been bad for a long time, but now the two countries’ 60-year-old friendship and cooperation is in a worse state than it has been in decades.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the president Emmanuel Macron are no longer even trying to hide their fractious differences – at a time when Europe should be straightening its lines in the face of Russian aggression.
Macron mocked last week, Scholz for his slow awakening to support for Ukraine, while Scholz lashed out at Macron for France’s lack of financial support.
Now even Scholz’s party colleagues are appealing that the gaps should be fixed.
– We cannot afford France and Germany arguing. This is dangerous for Ukraine, the Dem chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the German Bundestag Michael Roth said.
It’s about concrete differences in interpretation, two different mentalities, and the men’s bad personal chemistry.
Last week, Macron invited the leaders of more than 20 Western countries to Paris to discuss stronger support for Ukraine. As a result of the meeting, it was agreed, among other things, that Ukraine will start buying ammunition from outside Europe as well.
Read more: “Nothing should be ruled out” – these are the risks Macron took when talking about sending ground troops to Ukraine
At the same time, the meeting showed everyone how far apart the two largest EU countries have drifted. France would like a new gear in supporting Ukraine, while Germany is putting the brakes on.
The views of France and Germany on Ukraine differ for many reasons.
France wants to keep the opponent on their toes
Macron announced after last week’s meeting that France will henceforth “rule out nothing” in the fight against Russia’s lust for power. He also wants to keep sending ground forces to Ukraine in the palette of options.
Germany and almost all other EU countries, including Finland, denied that there had been any kind of negotiations between the allies about ground forces.
French experts explained Macron’s speeches about the ground forces as the fact that the president is entering the so-called strategic ambiguity (French: ambiguïté stratégique) phase.
The purpose of ambiguous messages is to leave the opponent unsure of what to expect.
As commander-in-chief of the military of a nuclear state, it is easier for Macron to insinuate and create fear than, for example, Germany’s Scholz. Germany does not have nuclear weapons.
Macron did not specify what kind of forces he meant.
– It could also be about demining, information security operations or the manufacture of ammunition, the French foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné explained.
Germany does not want to appear on the side of the war
Germany has provided Ukraine generously. This year, it plans to provide support with more than seven billion euros, which is by far the most among EU countries.
However, the German political leadership has not clearly outlined what the ultimate purpose of the support is. Scholz has never once said that Russia must lose the war.
At the same time, Scholz wants to avoid Germany appearing as a party to the war.
That’s why Chancellor Scholz refuses to give Ukraine the long-range Taurus missiles it needs. Taurus is an air-launched and powerful weapon system that can strike at a distance of 500 kilometers.
Scholz revealed the secret of the others
Britain and France have already given Ukraine their own cruise missiles. These systems are similar to Taurus, but only reach a distance of 250 kilometers.
– Germany cannot act the way the British and the French act in terms of missile targeting and the support given to it, Scholz said when justifying during the Paris meeting why Taurus missiles cannot be given to Ukraine.
At the same time, he was told that French and British forces are already in Ukraine assisting in the use of missiles. This increased the wedge not only between Germany and France but also between Germany and Britain between.
Although it is already widely known behind the scenes about the European special forces in Ukraine, for example of the Financial Times according to, it has not been said out loud.
The German army has its own line from Taurus
Now the German army is in crisis mode because of Russia.
On Friday, Russian state media published a long phone call by German officers about the delivery of Tauruses to Ukraine.
On the tape, German officers discussed the possibility of also targeting the bridge over the Kerch Strait, which connects the Crimean peninsula to Russia.
The fact that the secret conversation ended up in the hands of Russian intelligence was not only a humiliation for the German army, but also an indication that the country’s military forces have already concretely considered the delivery of Tauruses contrary to Scholz’s line.
– I am the chancellor, and therefore my policy is valid, Scholz stressed again on Monday during his visit to the provinces, according to several media.
Even if Scholz doesn’t want to, the publication of the officers’ phone call in Russia shows that for Putin Germany is already a party to the war, writes Der Spiegel magazine. In Russia, state representatives doubted on Monday, according to Reuters, whether the situation is under Scholz’s control.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will travel to Paris on Tuesday as a guest of his colleague Stéphane Séjourné to discuss, among other things, the situation in Ukraine. Down the road on Monday Baerbock hoped Scholz is still considering sending the Tauruses to Ukraine.