Macron and Scholz: “If there is aggression by Russia against Ukraine, there will also be a response”

The two leaders face off in Berlin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets French President Emmanuel Macron. Both leaders say they want a strong and sovereign Europe. “We expect clear steps from Russia to de-escalate with Ukraine.” Scholz said.

“We have seen that an aggression against Ukraine would have a very high price, on this there is an agreement with our allies in NATO and in the European Union”. The German Chancellor continued. “We must and can fight to arrive at a de-e scalation of the situation”, added Scholz. “This is why we are in favor of direct talks between the US and Russia, as well as the resumption of meetings in the Normandy format as well as in the OSCE”.

Regarding the latter, according to the Chancellor, “there remains for all of us an experience of the politics of détente following the Cold War, an experience from which it emerges that sovereignty and territorial integrity can never be endangered” .

“With Russia we must never abandon dialogue, a demanding dialogue to be carried out in different formats,” said the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

“If there is an aggression by Russia against Ukraine, there will be a response and the cost will be very high” for Moscow, the French president said. Macron specified that “we are preparing a joint reaction in case of aggression”.

The German Chancellor echoes him, saying: “We agree that a military aggression by Russia against Ukraine would have serious consequences, it is important that we work together bilaterally, at the EU, NATO and OSCE level”.

Then Scholz chooses the tones of détente: “We must do everything possible to resolve this situation through dialogue”. “We have always kept faith not to supply weapons, even in line with the history and decisions of the last decades”.

“We have always done a lot to give the necessary support, including economic, always within the scope of our international responsibilities”.

The Ukrainians, the Chancellor continued, “know they can trust us. For us it is clear that in the field of security we always proceed through shared decisions and in compliance with the values ​​we have recognized for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries in Europe “.

“We see a multiplication of de-stabilizing acts by Russia against various sovereign states that were part of the Soviet Union,” Macron noted.