Macron and Scholz clash over diverging strategies for Ukraine aid

Different approaches to aid for Ukraine will clash during a meeting in Berlin between two politicians. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agree on the scale of threats posed to Europe by Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, they differ in their willingness to aid the embattled country.

Berlin and Paris are divided on the strategy for supporting Kyiv. The visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, which began on Sunday, and his meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be an opportunity to verify these stances, speculates the German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung".

Daniel Brössler’s Monday analysis assesses that neither strategy is ideal. The German commentator emphasizes that there is no shortage of assurances about a Franco-German community, but the differences in approach are significant.

Brössler recalls that both politicians recently spoke on Ukraine in the British magazine "Economist." Their positions were contradictory.

Scholz assures that Germany will support Ukraine for as long as necessary, but NATO is not seeking confrontation with Russia. Conversely, Macron does not rule out—as he has mentioned earlier—sending French soldiers to Ukraine.

The German newspaper points out that the French President wants to deter the Russian aggressor by saying that Europe is ready to make more significant efforts to save Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz, however, does not wish for Germany or NATO to become parties to the war.

The newspaper emphasizes that Germany is the second-largest donor after the USA and provides Ukraine with crucial anti-aircraft weapons, while France is far behind in aid statistics. Brössler assessed that if everyone were as frugal in support as France, Ukraine would have lost long ago.

On the other hand, France supplies Ukraine with much-needed long-range missiles that Kyiv does not receive from either Germany or the USA. "If Ukraine could choose, it probably wouldn't choose either the stingy French or the procrastinating Germans. They need an Emmanuel Scholz," assessed "Süddeutsche Zeitung".