Insiders of the Financial Times draw attention to the fact that French leader Emmanuel Macron did not support German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the issue of using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's needs. Thus, Paris betrayed not only Kyiv, but also Berlin.
Points of attention
- Macron made a pro-Russian decision amid instability in his own country.
- Germany could become the new leader in Europe.
Macron chose the wrong course
Anonymous sources point out that it was German leader Friedrich Merz who was one of the main lobbyists for the idea of using 210 billion euros of frozen Russian sovereign assets to help Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, Macron publicly tried to maintain a neutral position, but his administration issued warnings about the possible illegality of such actions.
In the end, unexpectedly for everyone, the French president actually sided with Belgium, Italy, and other opponents of the use of Russian assets at the last moment.
"Macron betrayed Merz and he knows there will be a price to pay. But he is so weak that he had no choice but to support (Italian Prime Minister — ed.) Giorgia Maloni," a senior EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.
Insiders believe that recent events indicate that France is losing its role as a "leader" in Europe, and its place will quite possibly be taken by Germany.
