The row between the French president and German chancellor Olaf Scholz has reached such an intensity that allies fear it is undermining European unity at a critical juncture in Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression. The tensions are now so great they have become a matter of public concern in both countries. 

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With $60bn in military support blocked in the US Congress and Ukraine facing setbacks on the battlefield, Macron has been urging European partners to do more to help Kyiv. To that end, he hosted a leaders’ conference last month in Paris to spur new arms donations but the event was overshadowed by the row over troops.

“These spats are greeted with jubilation in Moscow and disquiet by our EU partners,” said Éric André Martin of the French Institute for International Relations. 

French officials later clarified that Macron was not referring to combat troops but to personnel for support functions, an idea backed by Poland and Lithuania.

German and French officials said the dispute masked the fact that a wide-ranging consensus exists on Ukraine among its western allies. 

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