The leaders of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, pledged to BE an engine for Europe and continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” at an event celebrating 60 years of Franco-German cooperation.
“The future, like the past, rests on the cooperation of our two countries” as “the locomotive of a united Europe”, affirmed the German chief Scholz, visiting Paris this Sunday on the occasion of the anniversary of the Elysee Treaty.
The alliance between France and Germany has been tested by the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and a whole series of geopolitical changes.
“We will continue to give Ukraine, as long as it takes, all the support it needs,” Scholz said in a speech at the Sorbonne University.
At his side, French President Emmanuel Macron promised “unfailing support” from both countries to the Ukrainian people, “in all areas”. And he promised to work to make the EU “a geopolitical power in its own right, in defense, space and diplomacy.”
Both leaders made these statements after Berlin’s refusal to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks, which the government of Volodimir Zelensky claims to deal more effectively with Russian forces.
Berlin’s position received numerous criticisms, the last of them this Sunday from Poland. Its prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, described as “unacceptable” Germany’s refusal to hand over its Leopards or at least authorize other countries to provide kyiv with those they have at their disposal.
In France, meanwhile, various political figures are calling for Paris to take “the initiative” by sending a limited number of Leclerc tanks to Ukraine.
The two leaders have a cold relationship, with “structural problems that go beyond personal relationships,” said Jacob Ross, a researcher at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.
The 1963 Elysée Treaty signed between the post-war leaders Konrad Adenauer of Germany and Charles de Gaulle of France ranged from military cooperation to youth exchanges.
Since then, France and Germany have frequently laid the groundwork for any joint European bloc response, within a broad agenda that now includes Ukraine conflict, climate, energy and Europe’s competitiveness in the face of a new wave of US subsidies. Joined.
Ross points out that part of the problem is that France clings to a historical perception as a sovereign power, with a nuclear arsenal and a seat on the UN Security Council.
By contrast, Germany has gladly delegated defense issues to the United States in recent decades.
But there are signs of change on both sides. On the French side, the government has revived its role in NATO since the invasion of Ukraine, and Germany invested $108 billion to modernize its armed forces.
At the same time, the joint development of new-generation aircraft and tanks is being delayed, and France is not participating in the German-led, 14-nation Sky Shield anti-missile initiative.
Beyond defense issues, trade and energy challenges affect both countries equally. With no cheap Russian gas or nuclear power, Germany was forced to partly switch back to coal, as renewables still cannot make up for the shortfall. France, in turn, is striving to repair and replace its dilapidated park of nuclear reactors.