FT: Macron Betrayed Mertz

• 22.12.2025, 4:00

The French president abandoned the idea of using Russian assets at the last moment.

France and Germany have taken opposite positions on the issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, which, according to the Financial Times, was another sign of the weakening of the Franco-German tandem in the EU. In European political circles, such a decision is already called a "betrayal" by French President Emmanuel Macron.

As the publication notes, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz actively promoted the idea of sending about 210 billion euros of Russian sovereign assets to help Ukraine. Macron avoided public comment for a long time and expressed doubts behind closed doors about the legal validity of such a move.

The French president eventually joined Belgium, Italy and other countries in opposing the use of frozen Russian assets.

"Macron has effectively betrayed Merz and realizes that he will have to pay a political price for this. However, he was too weak to do otherwise and was forced to support George Meloni," a senior EU diplomat with knowledge of the talks said on condition of anonymity.