French President Macron Postpones State Visit To Germany

 

Politico: Macron postpones state visit to Germany as France braces for more turmoil 

France has been shaken by a wave of violence sparked by the killing of a teenager of North African descent by police. 

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday postponed a long-planned state visit to Germany to deal with the worsening turmoil in France, in a clear sign of the gravity of the violent protests gripping the country. 

The killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent by a police officer on Tuesday has thrown France into chaos, sparking violent demonstrations in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teen was shot. The violence has spread to other big cities.  

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WNU Editor: Not surprised that this trip was cancelled. The optics of a going to a state dinner in Berlin while France burns would have been beyond horrible. 

 French President Macron Postpones State Visit To Germany  

Macron shelves Germany state visit over France riots -- AFP  

France braces for a fifth night of violence as Macron cancels visit to Germany -- RFI  

Mourners bury slain teen as Macron scraps trip, officials again deploy tens of thousands of police -- AP  

As Nahel is buried, Macron cancels trip to Germany -- Euronews  

Macron cancels Germany visit with over 1,300 arrested on fourth night of violence -- CGTN

France, Germany and Poland Vow Long-Term Support For Ukraine

 

DW: Macron, Scholz, Duda discuss Ukraine, NATO, migration  

The French president hosted the German and Polish leaders to seek ways of helping Kyiv wrest back land from Russia. Poland's premier pressed for a clearer roadmap for Ukraine to join the NATO defensive alliance. 

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish leader Andrzej Duda, with the Polish prime minister pressing the case for Ukraine to gain NATO membership. 

The three gathered to talk about military support for Kyiv's counteroffensive and humanitarian aid to the country after the breach of the Kherson region's Kakhovka dam. 

 "We have done everything to help it," Macron said of Ukraine's counteroffensive. "We have intensified the delivery of ammunition, weapons, and armored vehicles... We will continue in coming days and weeks."  

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France, Germany and Poland Vow Long-Term Support For Ukraine  

France, Germany and Poland back Ukraine's counteroffensive in a show of unity -- AP  

Ukraine Counteroffensive: Macron Eyes Negotiation Phase -- Bloomberg  

Ukraine war: France's Macron promises more military aid to Kyiv as counteroffensive begins -- WION  

France, Germany and Poland to back Kiyv's counteroffensive in show of unity -- Republic world  

Polish President Pushes for Ukraine's NATO Membership At Paris Talks -- RFE

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron Meet On Sunday To Discuss Ties And Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hold a press conference following a Franco-German joint cabinet meeting as part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty, to seal reconciliation between France and West Germany, 18 years after the Second World War at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris on January 22, 2023. © Benoît Tessier, AFP 

 

France 24: France, Germany firm up ties on alliance anniversary amid Ukraine strains 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday reaffirmed the importance of their nations' postwar alliance, despite strains created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

With pressure growing on Berlin to supply Ukraine with highly regarded German Leopard tanks, Scholz stopped short of any pledge, instead insisting all allies must work together. 

But Macron, whose country is already sending light tanks to Ukraine, made clear "nothing is excluded" regarding the possible delivery of French-made Leclerc heavy tanks.  

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron Meet On Sunday To Discuss Ties And Ukraine  

France, Germany renew alliance strained amid war in Ukraine -- AP  

Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz Meet in Paris to Discuss Ukraine -- Bloomberg  

Macron, Scholz vow continued support for Ukraine -- Anadolu Agency  

Macron and Scholz meet in bid to improve strained relations -- Financial Times 

Signs of strain as France and Germany mark 60 years of friendship -- RFI

Leaders Of France And Germany Meet In Paris

 

DW: Scholz and Macron meet amid deepening rift  

France and Germany have disagreed before, but things have come to head recently as they are increasingly making decisions independent of each other. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday amid recent tensions between the two nations. 

The leaders of two of Europe's biggest powers have disagreed on several issues lately, mostly pertaining to European policy and the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  

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WNU Editor: All smiles and handshakes at today's meeting. But I see no "chemistry" between the two leaders. And both countries are definitely following different policies (see above video). This relationship certainly does not compare to the Macron-Merkel years. 

Leaders Of France And Germany Meet In Paris 

Smiles and a handshake as France’s Macron and Germany’s Scholz plaster over differences -- France 24  

French, German leaders meet in Paris amid diverging views -- AP  

Macron-Scholz: Difficult Paris summit for German chancellor -- BBC

German - French Relations Are Strained Due To Disagreements On Energy And Military Cooperation

French President Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz  

Politico: Franco-German rift threatens to cancel joint Cabinet meeting 

Relations between Paris and Berlin have been strained due to disagreements over the Midcat pipeline and military cooperation. 

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is considering postponing a meeting of the French and German governments planned for next week because of concerns over a lack of progress in areas of supposed cooperation such as energy and defense, according to several French government officials. 

Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as their Cabinets, are scheduled to meet in Fontainebleau south of Paris next Wednesday for their yearly Franco-German ministerial council — the first such meeting since Scholz’s three-party coalition took office at the end of last year. The leaders are planning to sign a joint declaration to promote bilateral cooperation and European integration in various areas, but less than one week ahead of the meeting, both sides are still wrangling over key passages of the text. 

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WNU Editor: The Russia - Ukraine war has definitely exposed a lot of divisions among EU countries.

Germany And France Agree To Develop A New European Jet Fighter

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a news conference following a Franco-German joint cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. Stephane Mahe, Reuters

Reuters: France and Germany to develop new European fighter jet

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany unveiled plans on Thursday to develop a European fighter jet, burying past rivalries as part of a raft of measures to tighten defense and security cooperation.

The move to develop a new warplane accelerates steps that are expected to shape the future of the European fighter industry and its three existing programs - the Eurofighter, France's Rafale and Sweden's Gripen.

The move also reflects efforts to give fresh impetus to Franco-German relations in the aftermath of Britain's decision to leave the European Union and was described by defense experts as a snub to Europe's leading military power.

France and Germany aim to come up with a roadmap by mid 2018 for jointly leading development of the new aircraft to replace their existing fleets of rival warplanes, according to a document issued after a Franco-German cabinet meeting in Paris.

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Update: France and Germany tighten ties and plan to develop fighter jet -- Financial Times

WNU Editor: Developing a new fighter jet is not cheap, but their fighter jets are getting old, and I guess they want to be independent from U.S. military suppliers.

Germany And France In Talks To Establish A New European Security Force

DW: German, French defense ministers talk new European security force

Germany and France say they are working together toward a European security force. The Franco-German initiative is being viewed as a reaction to US President Donald Trump, but it actually goes back a lot further.

At the press conference in Berlin after their first bilateral meeting, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her newly-appointed French colleague Sylvie Goulard started with a few words in each other's language. The message was obvious. France and Germany want to be seen as a unit, working hand-in-hand to make Europe more responsible for its own security.

"We know that our common friendship and common work goes far beyond bilateralism," von der Leyen said. "For both of our countries it's crucial that we create more for Europe and that we work together toward a European defense and security union."

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WNU Editor: The creation of an independent EU army has been ongoing for a very long time. And while this new Franco-German initiative is nothing like that .... it is the first step to put into place the mechanism by which EU states can conduct military exercises and pursue military arrangements independent from NATO.