French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of undermining German Chancellor Friedrich Merz by opposing the move to utilise the Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine, a report said.
The backtracking of Macron on the crucial issue has created tensions between the two countries after recent marathon talks in Berlin ended without an agreement.
France wasn’t the only country rejecting the idea; Italy, Slovakia, and Hungary also called the idea dangerous, while Belgium rejected the deal, fearing legal consequences.
Insider reports have now claimed that the EU officials understand that “Macron betrayed Merz, and he knows that there will be a price to pay for that.”
According to senior EU officials, Macron did not object to the ‘reparations loan’ proposal; in private, he called its legality into question.
The French lawmakers, citing the ongoing financial constraints and mounting debt of the country, said that Macron outrightly rejected security guarantees in case the utilised funds are later supposed to be repaid.
Several nations have joined Macron, believing that the idea is flawed and puts other EU countries at risk of confrontations with Russia.
However, the bloc instead approved a $105 billion interest-free loan to Ukraine backed by the bloc’s budget. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic opted out of the idea.
Amid these ongoing developments, the divisions and rift between Macron and Merz have become increasingly apparent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his year-end press conference on Friday, warned that, “We will make the EU pay back everything that they try to steal right now.”
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