“Macron betrayed March – and will pay the price”: the dramatic rift between the two leaders

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich March are the two most powerful leaders in Europe. To a large extent, their interests are compatible – both support aid to Ukraine, and both try to strengthen Europe’s position vis-à-vis the United States. But the Financial Times reported on the murky relations and disputes between the two leaders and the two powers, who time and again fail to reach agreements on critical issues.

Last week, a summit of EU leaders was held in Brussels, where the leaders of the EU discussed a series of issues. One of the most important issues that was on the agenda was March’s initiative to promote the use of approximately 210 billion euros of frozen Russian assets for aid to Ukraine. But the chancellor soon discovered that he lacked a critical ally – Macron. “Macron betrayed March, and he knows there will be a price,” a European diplomat told the British newspaper.

According to the report, in the weeks leading up to the summit in Brussels, Macron did not publicly oppose the German proposal. However, behind the scenes his people raised doubts as to the legality of the move and warned that France, whose economic situation is precarious, would find it difficult to provide a guarantee in case the assets were required to return to Russia at short notice. After other countries, including Italy, opposed the plan, Macron also joined and the move failed. “He is so politically weak that he has no choice but to align himself with Georgia Maloney,” the European diplomat said of Macron.

This is not just a one-off incident – Germany, led by March, is trying to promote new initiatives designed to strengthen Europe, but France does not always cooperate. In Paris, it is difficult to cope with the government’s heavy debt, alongside the severe political instability towards the end of Macron’s term.

“There is a clear feeling in Brussels that Germany is the dominant player, and that France has lost its influence,” Georgina Wright, a senior researcher at Germany’s Marshall Fund, told the Financial Times. Meretz aims to erase 3 years of German hesitancy that characterized his predecessor in the position, Olaf Schulz, in the face of the division within his coalition.

After his victory in the elections, Mertz worked to strengthen the relationship with France, against the background of the need to strengthen Europe’s independence and security in view of the decreasing American involvement in the region. But the two repeatedly encountered disputes. Another point of friction at the summit was the trade agreement between the European Union and Latin American countries. March pushed for a signing by the end of the month, but Macron cooperated with Italy to get a delay of several weeks.

“Ironically, the European Union has never been more ‘French’ – with an emphasis on industrial and security policy, largely thanks to Macron. This is happening precisely when France itself is retreating inward,” Wright said, adding: “In Brussels, there is a growing feeling that France prefers national interests over European interests.”