The summit is taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Berlin and Paris.
BERLIN — French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Berlin on Friday to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an effort to ease tensions over Ukraine that have spilled into the open in recent weeks, senior German and French officials told POLITICO.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will join the leaders of France and Germany later in the day, a German official said, marking the first meeting in the "Weimar Triangle," a format of dialogue between the three countries since Tusk became Poland's prime minister again . in december
The leaders intend the meeting to be a show of unity after a tense period in which Franco-German disputes over Ukraine have escalated into open hostility.
Long-standing tensions boiled over in late February, when Macron refused to rule out sending Western troops to fight in Ukraine, vowing to do " everything possible to prevent Russia from winning this war." The more cautious Scholz responded by ruling out the use of ground troops from European countries.
A few days later, Macron appears to have responded directly to Scholz. "Europe is clearly facing a moment when it will be necessary not to be cowards," he told the audience in Prague. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius responded that Macron's comments were "something that doesn't really help solve the problems we have when it comes to helping Ukraine".
German officials complain privately that while Macron has been tough on Ukraine, he has not provided nearly as much military support as Germany.
Germany's Kiel Institute, which collects national contributions to Ukraine's war effort, sees France as a clear laggard with 640 million euros in military aid compared to Germany, which has given or pledged 17.7 billion euros.
The French deny these figures and deny that they provide really important weapons. "France has chosen operational efficiency in its military aid to Ukraine: promise what you can deliver, deliver what you can promise," Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu recently said in a post on X.
Macron postponed a long-planned visit to Ukraine this week amid tensions with allies over his increasingly aggressive rhetoric. The Elysee Palace announced on Sunday that the visit would take place over the "next few weeks".
The decision to postpone was made to allow time for talks with allies that would produce "tangible results" for Ukraine, a French diplomat told POLITICO, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
Macron is scheduled to arrive at the Berlin office around noon on Friday for bilateral talks with Scholz. The meeting between Macron and Scholz is to be followed by a tripartite discussion with Tusk.
The leaders have tried to present the Weimar format as a means of strengthening European security, although it is far from clear that adding Tusk to the discussion will help smooth out long-standing friction between Scholz and Markon.
Officials in Tusk's government have expressed sympathy for Macron's tougher rhetoric, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski recently said a NATO troop presence in Ukraine was not unthinkable.
A senior German official said no concrete decisions or announcements were expected from Friday's talks, which were intended to send a new signal of unity.
