After years of simmering disputes under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Macron and Merz were keen to present a refreshed, engaged and well-choreographed partnership spearheaded by two like-minded leaders eager to get down to business.
Macron hailed “a new page in the Franco-German friendship” while Merz said he already shared “a deep personal bond” with the French president.
The two leaders appeared relatively aligned on how to support Ukraine. Merz said he wanted Germany to offer Kyiv security guarantees if talks between Russia and Washington led to a ceasefire, something that both France and the U.K. have been actively pushing for, and would visit Kyiv in the coming weeks.
“President Trump also has our full support when it comes to bringing the killing to an end and ending the war,” Merz said. “Once a ceasefire is agreed, we are ready to participate in its monitoring under U.S. leadership.”
Macron has in the past said that Europeans need to work on security guarantees for Ukraine, including the possible deployment of troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire, irrespective of decisions made in Washington — a possible sign that Berlin might not be totally aligned with Paris on the role Europeans should play in Ukraine.
The two also appeared in lockstep in terms of backing the European Commission’s rearmament plan and efforts to make European businesses more competitive, many of which were inspired by the Mario Draghi report.
