As of: March 27, 2024, 5:50 p.m
By: Babett Gumbrecht
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Macron's statements are not only met with incomprehension in Europe.
US officials are also critical.
Especially because words are often not followed by actions.
Paris – French President Emmanuel Macron is currently not particularly popular.
His recent comment about the deployment of NATO ground troops in Ukraine is unlikely to change that.
In addition to Olaf Scholz, who immediately publicly rebuked Macron for this, US officials are now also angry.
According to the Bloomberg
portal
, a senior US official familiar with the discussions among the allies said that such a move could even risk fueling the conflict with Vladimir Putin.
He said at the time that his hints were intended to keep the Russian president guessing.
But US experts now fear that his NATO discussions on Ukraine may have the opposite effect.
Review: Weimar Triangle disagreement over deployment of ground troops
At a meeting between Chancellor Scholz, Macron and Poland's Prime Minister Tusk in mid-March, the so-called “Weimar Triangle” agreed on the procurement of additional weapons for Ukraine.
However, there was no agreement on the deployment of Western ground troops in Ukraine.
Before the meeting with the Chancellor, Macron again did not rule out ground troops in a television interview.
Germany, on the other hand, rules out such a scenario.
According to the US, by forcing Scholz to publicly rule out the possibility of sending troops, Macron was now able to give Putin an advantage because he now knew what NATO's limits were.
With his public statements, Macron achieves one thing above all: the division of Europe's military unity.
This is currently more important than ever in the fight against Vladimir Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine.
For Macron, the Ukraine conflict seems to bring, above all, publicity.
He is deliberately placing his Ukraine policy at the center of the campaign for the European Parliament elections in June.
He portrays his right-wing extremist rival Marine Le Pen as a Putin ally, reports
Bloomberg
.
There is little doubt that some EU prime ministers see Macron as a leader.
Many welcome his tough stance on Russia, according to an official familiar with discussions at their recent meeting in Brussels.
More talk than action: France is behind in financial support for Kiev
But one of the many European plans to solve the weapons shortage in Ukraine is an example of why Macron is also met with incomprehension by some allies.
The French president's critics reportedly say he talks more than he acts.
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Especially when it comes to promises of financial resources.
Since the beginning of the war, France has lagged far behind its allies in terms of overall aid to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute's Ukraine Support Tracker.
France has pledged less than two billion euros in support to Kiev, in contrast to Germany, which is providing €22 billion.
(bg)