French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejournet denies information that has appeared in the media about disagreements between Paris and Berlin on issues of assistance to Ukraine.
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It was previously reported that differences between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron over aid to Ukraine are turning into open hostility amid Macron’s statements about sending troops to Ukraine. The Financial Times, in turn, wrote that the conflict between Paris and Berlin is aggravated by contradictions in the EU, which are delaying military assistance to Kyiv through the European Fund.
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“There is no conflict between France and Germany; we agree on 80 percent of issues. I spoke with my German colleague Annalena Bärbock, we will meet on March 5 in Paris. There is a willingness to have a conversation,” Sejournet said.
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The minister added that, together with Germany, France has obligations at various levels, for example, on missiles. “There is no drama, since we have one goal – support for Ukraine,” he emphasized.
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According to Sejournet, there are currently no French military personnel in Ukraine; assistance to Kyiv is provided only in the form of supplies of equipment and weapons.
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Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the EU had agreed to create a “ninth coalition for deep strikes” – supplying Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles. He also said that France will do everything to prevent Russia “from winning this war.” According to him, the leaders of Western countries have discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, but no consensus has yet been reached. Shortly after Macron’s statements, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany would not send its troops to Ukraine, and Scholz stressed that NATO countries as a whole were not going to do this. In addition, the Chancellor again stated that there are no plans to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
