How tense are German-French relations? France** Macron said that he did not rule out the deployment of ground troops to Ukraine, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz firmly opposed this. To this end, Scholz asked Paris to do more for Ukraine. Now French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné has taken a stand.
AFP reported that despite the differences between Scholz and Macron on the Ukraine issue, French Foreign Minister Sejourne believes that there is no ** between the two countries. There is no conflict between France and Germany, and we are on the same page on 80% of the issues. Sejourne said in an interview with **.
Sejúne went on to say that he had held a dialogue with his German counterpart, Baerbock, and that the two sides agreed to meet in Paris on March 5. "[It shows that there is] a willingness to communicate with each other. The French foreign minister said that Germany and France "have the common goal of supporting Ukraine." In this regard, "[the relationship] is not so bad".
At the moment, the most obvious point of contention between Germany and France is the form of assistance to Ukraine. At the international conference on aid to Ukraine, organized by France on February 26, Macron mentioned the reluctance of some countries to provide Ukraine with certain heavy **. This may be an allusion to Germany's hesitation in ** deliveries at the beginning of the war.
Macron also said that the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine must not be ruled out. But this was met with widespread opposition in Europe, and Scholz also expressed a clear rejection.
In view of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament in June, Sejúne now refuses to assess the topic of "discussing the military presence in Ukraine with an electoral purpose." "There is a problem. Ukraine has always been at the center of the electoral debate, as there is a wide variety of positions on this issue. I would prefer that this is not the case, and that there is a broad consensus. ”
The "situation in Gaza is unbearable".
Sejúne also touched on the Middle East. He criticized the Israeli authorities for holding the blockade accountable for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. "The responsibility for blocking aid clearly lies with Israel," he said. The catastrophic humanitarian situation has created "an unbearable and unjustified situation, for which Israel is responsible".
The war in the Gaza Strip has been going on for almost five months, and the tragic plight of civilians has recently been repeatedly criticized. On October 7, 2023, hundreds of Hamas militants invaded Israel and committed atrocities mainly against civilians. According to Israeli sources, they killed about 1,160 people in the Gaza Strip and took about 250 hostages.
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel then launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, claiming that the goal was to destroy Hamas. According to the latest data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 30,300 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.
Edit: North Wind).