French diplomats are worried by Berlin’s increasing assertiveness in styling itself as Europe’s dominant player, while the Germans are fed up with the French over a stalled joint fighter-jet program, their opposition to an EU-Mercosur trade deal, and a shelved plan to use Russian assets to finance aid for Ukraine.
The French made their traditional proposal that the money should be used to buy European weapons — which in turn would support French industry. The Germans hit back that preferential treatment should instead be given to companies from countries that had made the biggest contributions to Ukraine — thereby helping German industry.
Nobody could have seen this coming. ![]()
As has been said before, if there's no more NATO, the EU will begin to fracture soon afterwards as old European rivalries re-emerge and they'll go back to fighting each other.


