Scholz, Macron and Tusk to meet to discuss their stances on support for Ukraine – Politico

Politico has learned that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet in Berlin on 15 March to resolve their differences, in particular over their stances on support for Ukraine.

As reported by Politico, Macron is due to arrive in Berlin around noon on Friday, and will first meet separately with Olaf Scholz. In the afternoon, they will be joined by Donald Tusk for a dialogue in the Weimar Triangle format meeting, the first since Donald Tusk returned to the post of prime minister.

The meeting should help resolve differences and demonstrate unity after tensions between Paris and Berlin have risen due to divergent views on a number of issues related to support for Ukraine that have become public. 

One of the most obvious instances was the reaction of the German chancellor after Macron said that a deployment of allied troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out. 

Macron later said that "Europe clearly faces a moment when it will be necessary not to be cowards", which was perceived as a direct response to Olaf Scholz. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said afterwards that such comments are "something which does not really help solve the issues we have when it comes to helping Ukraine". 

Behind the scenes, German officials complain that Macron makes strong statements, but the support from France for Ukraine is significantly less than what Germany has provided and promised to provide. 

Warsaw generally welcomed Macron's statements on the potential presence of allied troops in Ukraine in the future, with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski noting that the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine "is not something unthinkable".

A source in Berlin familiar with the preparations for the meeting says that no specific decisions or announcements are planned after Friday's meeting, and that its main purpose is to send a signal of unity.

On Tuesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with US President Joe Biden and discussed, among other things, how to maintain and strengthen support for Ukraine.