Paris and Berlin renew their alliance before war in Ukraine

France and Germany promised on Sunday to give Ukraine “unwavering support” and to strengthen the European Union as they try to overcome their differences on defense, energy and the economy as they mark the 60th anniversary of their post-World War II friendship treaty.

The entire German government cabinet traveled to Paris for bilateral meetings with their French counterparts, and some 300 legislators from both nations held a meeting at the Sorbonne University during the day of ceremonies and negotiations, The AP Agency reported.

The war in Ukraine has exposed differences in strategies between the two countries, particularly regarding the European dialogue on how to deal with the energy crisis and the crushing inflation caused by the conflict, as well as on military investments to future.

Both countries have supplied a fair amount of weapons to Ukraine, but kyiv is requesting higher-powered tanks and weaponry for the war with Russia, which continues to drag on. Berlin is facing pressure to approve the shipment of German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

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During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholzthe French President Emmanuel Macron He said he is not ruling out the possibility of sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine, and has asked his defense minister to “work” on a plan.

Scholz did not comment on whether Germany would agree to send the Leopards, instead stressing what his country has already brought to Ukraine. “The United States is doing a lot. Germany is also doing a lot,” declared the chancellor.

“We have constantly expanded our deliveries with highly effective weapons that are already available today. And we have always coordinated these decisions closely with our important allies and friends.”

In a joint statement, the two countries said that “they will continue to show unwavering support for Ukraine in all possible sectors” and “we will be with Ukraine as long as it takes”.

France Y Germany They also pledged to “work together for a stronger, more sustainable European Union that is more capable of acting independently.”

The treaty that sealed the bond between the long-standing enemies 60 years ago is the foundation of today’s EU. “Let’s use our inseparable friendship… to shape the present and future of our continent, together with our European allies,” Scholz said in a ceremony at the Sorbonne.

Scholz said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “imperialism” “will not win… We will not allow Europe to return to a time when violence replaced politics and our continent was devastated by hatred and national rivalries.”

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For his part, Macron called for “a new energy model” in the European Union based on diversifying supplies and encouraging the production of energy obtained without generating carbon.

In their joint declaration, Paris and Berlin pledged to “strengthen their investments in tomorrow’s technologies, especially renewable and low-carbon energy.” In particular, they committed to the development of a “joint plan” on the exploitation of hydrogen.

They said a pipeline being jointly developed by Spain, France and Portugal to transport green hydrogen — produced from renewable resources — will be extended to Germany.

The so-called H2Med submarine pipeline from the Iberian Peninsula to France is scheduled to come into operation in 2030. It is expected to transport up to 2 million tons of green hydrogen per year, which is equivalent to 10% of the total consumption of the European Union, according to Spanish authorities.

(With information from AP)