‘Unity is strength,’ insist Macron, Scholz and Tusk as trio tries to bury the hatchet over Ukraine strategy

 

‘Unity is strength,’ insist Macron, Scholz and Tusk as trio tries to bury the hatchet over Ukraine strategy

 

There were hopes the Polish prime minister would help mediate between Paris and Berlin.

 

MARCH 15, 2024 7:28 PM CET

BY CLEA CAULCUTT AND JOSHUA POSANER

https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-olaf-scholz-donald-tusk-unity-ukraine-strategy/

 

BERLIN — French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk staged a show of unity in Berlin on Friday in an effort to bring a reprieve to weeks of bickering between France and Germany.

 

Scholz insisted “unity is strength” while Macron chimed in that the three leaders were “united and determined” in their support for Ukraine during statements to the press after talks at the chancellery. The leaders did not take questions.

 

Tensions between France and Germany over support for Ukraine have spilled into the open in recent days, and Friday’s talks were seen as an opportunity to patch things up. It was hoped that Tusk, who was joining a three-way summit for the first time since becoming premier, would help mediate between Scholz and Macron.

 

Ahead of the meeting, Tusk upped the stakes in tweeting that that what Ukraine needs is “less talk and more ammo,” an apparent rebuke of Macron. The French president has adopted increasingly hawkish rhetoric and doubled down on comments about the prospect of sending Western ground troops to Ukraine, but Paris itself has been under fire for talking tough while lagging behind in terms of actual military aid donated to Kyiv.

 

In Berlin, Macron adopted a more conciliatory tone towards his allies, saying that the three countries were committed to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” but “never to prompt an escalation.”

 

Scholz said the leaders agreed to buy shells for Ukraine on the global market, ramp up production and use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to fund defense gear in the future — a shift from Berlin’s earlier stance, but it remains unclear how that would work in practice across the EU.

 

The commitments from Scholz could supercharge efforts to procure artillery shells for Ukraine in the midst of a supply crunch which has left Kyiv struggling to hold back Russia’s artillery bombardments.

 

A Czech scheme to finance the purchase of 800,000 artillery rounds on the global market has already gathered enough funding from a coalition of capitals to procure 300,000 shells and negotiate over a further 200,000. Portugal on Friday became the latest state to join with a €100 million contribution.

 

The German chancellor also said in Berlin that a new coalition of countries would team up to support Ukraine with long-range artillery capabilities within the so-called Ramstein format of countries which coordinates allied military aid to Ukraine.

 

Returning from a trip to Washington on Tuesday, Tusk said that “whatever happens” the leaders have a “responsibility for Europe” and “a strong Europe is important for Ukraine.”

 

Clea Caulcutt reported from Paris and Joshua Posaner from Berlin.