Disagreements between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron over military assistance to Ukraine are escalating into open hostility, Politico reported on February 27.

«While Ukraine is experiencing a shortage of ammunition, the leaders of Germany and France are quarreling over military aid,» the article says.

So, in Germany, officials are outraged that, although Macron is ready to speak decisively about Ukraine, he is not taking sufficient action compared to what Scholz is doing.

According to a recent study by the German Kiel Institute, which collects data on the contribution of countries to military operations in Ukraine, France is considered a «clearly lagging» ally. Paris provided €640 million in military aid, while Berlin provided €17.7 billion in military aid.

That is why Scholz is using every opportunity to get Macron to send more weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, French officials retort that «they provide weapons that really matter, and they do so with less hesitation than the Germans.» Especially revealing in this case, according to them, is Scholz’s unwillingness to send Taurus missiles.

In addition, after the summit in Paris on February 26, Macron «rebuked Scholz» for Germany’s historical indecision on the issue of sending weapons to Ukraine. Germany also hesitated for a long time with sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine and took this step only after the United States announced its intention to send its M1 Abrams tanks, Politico writes.

On the same day, Macron, during a press conference, called the promise to transfer a million shells to Ukraine reckless. He admitted that the European Union did not have such a large amount of ammunition.

The day before, on February 26, Scholz opposed the supply of German long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. In his opinion, it is dangerous to involve Germany in the conflict. He also admitted that he was amazed by the statements of a number of politicians about possible participation in the conflict.

Before that, on February 24, Bundestag deputy Sarah Wagenknecht warned that the supply of these weapons to Ukraine could provoke a conflict with Russia in Germany. She added that the supply will not help Kiev, instead it is worth agreeing on a cease-fire and freezing the conflict along the current front line.

Western countries have increased military and financial support for Kiev against the background of the Russian Federation’s special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military. However, recently, statements about the need to reduce support for Ukraine have been increasingly heard in the West.