“United”, “determined” and “resolved to never let Russia win”: Emmanuel Macron insisted on Friday displaying his unity with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the issue of support for Ukraine , during a meeting in Berlin.
LIVE |
Statement by President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Donald Tusk from Berlin.
https://t.co/TfZrbaG93B
— Élysée (@Elysee) March 15, 2024
“We will continue as we have done since the first day to never take the initiative of any escalation,” declared the Head of State after weeks of tensions, particularly with Germany, on the strategy to adopt .
“We will continue to support Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary,” he assured the press after a three-way summit.
“Our security and our future”
“We share the same conviction: it is our security and our future that are also at stake in Ukraine,” said Emmanuel Macron, who listed the decisions taken in recent weeks to strengthen European support for kyiv.
Also read “They were never able to tame each other”: in Berlin, Macron will try to ease tensions with Scholz
“We are going to buy ammunition together in countries which have stocks, where we do not produce quickly enough”, he recalled in particular, in reference to a Czech initiative, supported by several countries, including France and the 'Germany.
The French president also mentioned “initiatives” in terms of cyber defense, mine clearance, or border protection.
“Reinforced support for Moldova” is also planned, he declared, also mentioning a project for “industrial co-production on Ukrainian soil”.
Divergences
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for his part, announced the establishment of a coalition of Ukraine's allies on long-range artillery, weapons demanded by kyiv to defend itself against the Russian aggressor.
Sending ground troops, long-range missiles, mounting aid to kyiv... Divergences have multiplied in recent weeks between France and Germany, weakening the allies' message of unity.
At the end of February, the French head of state's statements regarding the possible sending of troops to Ukraine had notably sparked a categorical rejection from Olaf Scholz.
The German leader, who fears the escalation of the conflict, is criticized by several of his allies and even within his majority for his refusal to deliver long-range Taurus missiles, because their adjustment would, according to him, require the intervention of German soldiers.