(Updated with end of meeting, press conference)
by John Irish, Andrew Gray and Sarah Marsh
BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) – Germany, France and Poland showed their unity on Friday after the tensions between Berlin and Paris over aid to Ukraine, ensuring they speak with one voice and renewing strong support in Kyiv facing the Russian enemy.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met in Berlin in order to iron out the differences that are weakening the Franco-German couple and, therefore, European cohesion in the face of Moscow.
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During the conference in support of Ukraine at the end of February in Paris, Emmanuel Macron made Olaf Scholz bristle – in particular – by publicly mentioning the possible sending of troops to Ukraine, then the following week in Prague where he called on the Europeans to not to be “cowardly”.
The German Chancellor, who replied that “caution” was not “weakness”, spoke face-to-face on Friday morning with Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders were then joined by Donald Tusk, in the Weimar Triangle format.
“We speak with one voice,” assured Donald Tusk at the end of the discussions, during a joint press conference with the French and German leaders.
He announced a Weimar Triangle summit in the summer.
“We want to do everything necessary (…) so that the situation in Ukraine (…) improves and does not deteriorate,” he added.
Olaf Scholz thus announced the creation of a “new coalition of capabilities for long-range artillery” as part of the contact group of allies on the defense of Ukraine (Ramstein format).
“THE MOMENT IS SERIOUS”
He also agreed with the proposal of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to seize the interest generated by 200 billion euros of Russian assets immobilized by the Twenty-Seven in order to finance the purchase of armaments for the benefit of Ukraine.
“Today’s meeting allows us, on the one hand, to strengthen our unity and show our determination. It also allowed us to share the same understanding of the situation in Ukraine. This is a serious moment. It’s a new era which is opening and we will be there”, declared for his part Emmanuel Macron.
France, Germany and Poland are “united” and “resolved never to let Russia win and to support the Ukrainian people until the end”.
“This determination is fierce, it also implies our unity and that is why we have acted on very concrete things together,” he insisted.
Kyiv was worried about Franco-German dissonance, with Mykhaïlo Podoliak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, telling Reuters that “the indecision and lack of coordinated action” of Ukraine’s allies had “serious consequences” .
“Russia is starting to gain confidence and believe that it can crush Ukraine quantitatively,” he said. “Ukraine, for its part, is experiencing a serious shortage of specific resources, mainly shells, and is partially losing the initiative.” (With contributions from Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv, Alan Charlish in Warsaw and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; French version Camille Raynaud, Corentin Chappron, Sophie Louet, edited by Nicolas Delame)
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