The leaders of Germany (Olaf Scholz), France (Emmanuel Macron) and Poland (Donald Tusk) promised this Friday in Berlin renewed military support for Ukraine for the war it is waging against the Russian invader, in a remarkable display of unity after several stormy days. in which, however, the different nuances emerged within the Franco-German axis.
“We are united and determined not to let Russia win,” Macron said. “It is clear that we support Ukraine and that we are not at war with Russia,” Scholz said. “Some malicious rumors about differences of opinion between capitals are greatly exaggerated,” congratulated Tusk, in the role of notary of the unit.
Because, beyond nuances, one thing is clear in European capitals: the military situation in Ukraine is judged precarious and the danger of a Russian advance in spring is considered real. Hence the general calls for rearmament in Europe.
As host of the meeting, and perhaps to modulate the contrast with Macron’s belligerent attitude in recent days – the Frenchman has not ruled out the future sending of soldiers to Ukraine, while the German rejects that NATO or EU troops set foot Ukrainian soil – Scholz assumed the role of listing the practical agreements reached.
Scholz thus announced a coalition of allies to send long-range artillery to Ukraine, to be forged within the club of countries that meets periodically at the US air base in Ramstein (Germany), and sometimes in Brussels. The next meeting in Ramstein, called as usual by the United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, takes place next Tuesday.
The Bundestag (lower house of the German Parliament) voted the day before yesterday against the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, so, a priori, it does not seem that they will be included in the long-range coalition arsenal. The Bundestag held this vote at the initiative of the conservative opposition, which does want to send them, a position shared by several of Scholz’s green and liberal partners.
The Social Democratic Chancellor insists that the shipment of Taurus missiles would mean an escalation of German involvement in the war, convinced that the Kremlin also sees it that way. Yesterday in Berlin, in the distribution of public communication tasks, it was up to the Frenchman Macron to verbalize that Germany, France and Poland agree “to never take the initiative of any escalation.”
Scholz attributed “a particular responsibility” to Germany, France and Poland, and explained that they will buy weapons for Ukraine on the world market; that they will promote the manufacture of weapons on Ukrainian soil; and that income obtained from frozen Russian assets will be used in the purchase of weapons. “Putin must know that our support for Ukraine will not diminish,” the chancellor concluded.
On Thursday, Scholz and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had held a telephone conversation, after which Zelensky wrote on the social network ”. There is also, as Macron recalled yesterday, an initiative led by the Czech Republic to gather ammunition.
Scholz, Macron and Tusk met as part of the Weimar Triangle, a dialogue format between Germany, France and Poland created in 1991 in the German city of Weimar, and which in recent years had been in decline. An excited Tusk announced that the trio’s next meeting will be held at the beginning of summer in Poland. The three said goodbye to the press with big smiles and joining their fists, with an almost festive air, as if we were not talking about war.
