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| Merkel and Macron Publicly Clash Over NATO | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| BRUSSELS — Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was uncharacteristically furious. At a dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, she huddled with President Emmanuel Macron of France, who had just given an interview in which he cited the “brain death” of NATO and wondered whether its commitment to collective defense still held. | BRUSSELS — Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was uncharacteristically furious. At a dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, she huddled with President Emmanuel Macron of France, who had just given an interview in which he cited the “brain death” of NATO and wondered whether its commitment to collective defense still held. |
| Mr. Macron had also been the sole leader to veto the start of lengthy membership talks for North Macedonia to join the European Union, despite Skopje’s having done everything Brussels had asked of it, including changing the country’s name. | Mr. Macron had also been the sole leader to veto the start of lengthy membership talks for North Macedonia to join the European Union, despite Skopje’s having done everything Brussels had asked of it, including changing the country’s name. |
| “I understand your desire for disruptive politics,” Ms. Merkel said. “But I’m tired of picking up the pieces. Over and over, I have to glue together the cups you have broken so that we can then sit down and have a cup of tea together.” | “I understand your desire for disruptive politics,” Ms. Merkel said. “But I’m tired of picking up the pieces. Over and over, I have to glue together the cups you have broken so that we can then sit down and have a cup of tea together.” |
| Mr. Macron defended himself, saying that he could not simply go to a NATO meeting in London in early December and pretend that the United States and Turkey had behaved in the collective interest in Syria. | Mr. Macron defended himself, saying that he could not simply go to a NATO meeting in London in early December and pretend that the United States and Turkey had behaved in the collective interest in Syria. |
| “I cannot sit there and act like nothing has happened,” he said. | “I cannot sit there and act like nothing has happened,” he said. |
| The conversation underscores the serious strains in the Franco-German relationship and the tensions surrounding the abbreviated NATO meeting on the outskirts of London, which was carefully downgraded from a summit to a gathering of leaders to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary. | The conversation underscores the serious strains in the Franco-German relationship and the tensions surrounding the abbreviated NATO meeting on the outskirts of London, which was carefully downgraded from a summit to a gathering of leaders to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary. |
| “I haven’t seen Franco-German relations at such a low point in a very long time,” said Claudia Major, a security analyst with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “I’ve rarely seen such bitterness and misunderstanding.” | “I haven’t seen Franco-German relations at such a low point in a very long time,” said Claudia Major, a security analyst with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “I’ve rarely seen such bitterness and misunderstanding.” |
| Mr. Macron, as an ambitious French president with nearly royal powers, is increasingly impatient with Ms. Merkel’s slow pragmatism and Germany’s federalism and coalition government, Ms. Major said. | Mr. Macron, as an ambitious French president with nearly royal powers, is increasingly impatient with Ms. Merkel’s slow pragmatism and Germany’s federalism and coalition government, Ms. Major said. |
| His wish, “in his impatient and almost nervous style,” to lead and disrupt “clashes with the German system, which is very slow with Merkel in her last term and a coalition just trying to survive,” she said. | His wish, “in his impatient and almost nervous style,” to lead and disrupt “clashes with the German system, which is very slow with Merkel in her last term and a coalition just trying to survive,” she said. |
| Mr. Macron is eager to put forward longer-term strategic proposals, but is increasingly impatient with a more stagnant Germany and a divided coalition in that country, where the left-leaning Social Democrats block his European military and security proposals and the conservative Christian Democrats block his proposals for more economic integration, higher spending and eurozone reform. | Mr. Macron is eager to put forward longer-term strategic proposals, but is increasingly impatient with a more stagnant Germany and a divided coalition in that country, where the left-leaning Social Democrats block his European military and security proposals and the conservative Christian Democrats block his proposals for more economic integration, higher spending and eurozone reform. |
| Mr. Macron misread Ms. Merkel, thinking that in her last term she would want to create a historical legacy for the European project, as Chancellor Helmut Kohl did by accepting the euro, and the French leader feels almost betrayed by her caution, a senior French official said. | Mr. Macron misread Ms. Merkel, thinking that in her last term she would want to create a historical legacy for the European project, as Chancellor Helmut Kohl did by accepting the euro, and the French leader feels almost betrayed by her caution, a senior French official said. |
| But that is to misunderstand Ms. Merkel, who “does not have big visions and is as pragmatic as you can get, and she is not going to change after 10 years,” Ms. Major said. | But that is to misunderstand Ms. Merkel, who “does not have big visions and is as pragmatic as you can get, and she is not going to change after 10 years,” Ms. Major said. |
| Then there is NATO, which Germany relies on for deterrence along with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, whose leaders have been sharply critical of Mr. Macron’s musings about the alliance’s weaknesses. Ms. Merkel refused to publicly accept Mr. Macron’s “brain death” criticism, calling his words “drastic.” | Then there is NATO, which Germany relies on for deterrence along with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, whose leaders have been sharply critical of Mr. Macron’s musings about the alliance’s weaknesses. Ms. Merkel refused to publicly accept Mr. Macron’s “brain death” criticism, calling his words “drastic.” |
| While many agree privately with Mr. Macron that President Trump’s unpredictability and moodiness have hurt NATO, made worse by his special dealings with an increasingly authoritarian and Moscow-leaning Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they believe it was wrong to state those doubts publicly. | While many agree privately with Mr. Macron that President Trump’s unpredictability and moodiness have hurt NATO, made worse by his special dealings with an increasingly authoritarian and Moscow-leaning Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they believe it was wrong to state those doubts publicly. |
| Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, called Mr. Macron irresponsible, describing his comments questioning NATO’s commitment to collective defense, known as Article Five, as dangerous. Mr. Morawiecki told his Parliament that any moves to question the guarantee included in the NATO treaty were a threat to the future of the European Union and the military alliance. | Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, called Mr. Macron irresponsible, describing his comments questioning NATO’s commitment to collective defense, known as Article Five, as dangerous. Mr. Morawiecki told his Parliament that any moves to question the guarantee included in the NATO treaty were a threat to the future of the European Union and the military alliance. |
| As François Heisbourg, a French defense analyst, put it, Mr. Macron was “talking like a think tanker” instead of as the leader of a key NATO ally and nuclear power. But there are divisions in NATO, he said, and “at least Macron is trying to address the problem at hand.’’ | As François Heisbourg, a French defense analyst, put it, Mr. Macron was “talking like a think tanker” instead of as the leader of a key NATO ally and nuclear power. But there are divisions in NATO, he said, and “at least Macron is trying to address the problem at hand.’’ |
| NATO officials are struggling to agree on a joint statement, something less than a formal communiqué, celebrating the anniversary and recommitting NATO members to more military spending. | NATO officials are struggling to agree on a joint statement, something less than a formal communiqué, celebrating the anniversary and recommitting NATO members to more military spending. |
| French officials are pressing for a reference to the need for a new strategic review of NATO’s mission, to replace the last one, which was completed in 2010 and is severely outdated, while most countries prefer to wait to see whether Mr. Trump is re-elected before broaching such a fundamental discussion of NATO’s purpose. | French officials are pressing for a reference to the need for a new strategic review of NATO’s mission, to replace the last one, which was completed in 2010 and is severely outdated, while most countries prefer to wait to see whether Mr. Trump is re-elected before broaching such a fundamental discussion of NATO’s purpose. |
| Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, trying to prevent a clash in London like the one that marred a tempestuous NATO summit meeting in Brussels nearly two years ago, has proposed an “expert group” to strengthen NATO’s political thinking. | Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, trying to prevent a clash in London like the one that marred a tempestuous NATO summit meeting in Brussels nearly two years ago, has proposed an “expert group” to strengthen NATO’s political thinking. |
| The idea would be to put the group under the consensual direction of NATO’s general-secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, who works hard to maintain good relations with Mr. Trump. | The idea would be to put the group under the consensual direction of NATO’s general-secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, who works hard to maintain good relations with Mr. Trump. |
| Mr. Stoltenberg is also traveling to Paris next week to meet Mr. Macron, presumably to discuss the French president’s interview comments calling into question the continuing validity of Article Five. | Mr. Stoltenberg is also traveling to Paris next week to meet Mr. Macron, presumably to discuss the French president’s interview comments calling into question the continuing validity of Article Five. |
| To question it aloud is to undermine it, something Mr. Trump was criticized heavily for doing early in his presidency, when he initially hesitated to endorse the provision and then mused over whether America would fight for Montenegro, a NATO member. | To question it aloud is to undermine it, something Mr. Trump was criticized heavily for doing early in his presidency, when he initially hesitated to endorse the provision and then mused over whether America would fight for Montenegro, a NATO member. |
| All of that has brought some glee to Russia’s ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, who praised Mr. Macron’s remarks and his veto of accession talks to the European Union of North Macedonia and Albania, something Moscow has been working for years to forestall. | All of that has brought some glee to Russia’s ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, who praised Mr. Macron’s remarks and his veto of accession talks to the European Union of North Macedonia and Albania, something Moscow has been working for years to forestall. |
| Moscow has also worked to undermine NATO and keep it from enlarging to the Balkans, Georgia and Ukraine. | Moscow has also worked to undermine NATO and keep it from enlarging to the Balkans, Georgia and Ukraine. |
| “In the light of President Macron’s statement,” Mr. Chizhov told The Financial Times, NATO “has a lot to discuss in close format” in London next month. He added: “We all know what President Trump had to say about NATO at different stages of his presidency.” | “In the light of President Macron’s statement,” Mr. Chizhov told The Financial Times, NATO “has a lot to discuss in close format” in London next month. He added: “We all know what President Trump had to say about NATO at different stages of his presidency.” |
| There are also concerns among allies that Mr. Macron is considering a speech about creating a nuclear deterrence based on Europe, so as not to rely on the Americans. | There are also concerns among allies that Mr. Macron is considering a speech about creating a nuclear deterrence based on Europe, so as not to rely on the Americans. |
| That idea will further infuriate Berlin and the Central Europeans, in part because no one believes that France’s nuclear deterrent is capable of covering the Continent, and British nuclear deterrent is almost entirely dependent on American nuclear missiles. | That idea will further infuriate Berlin and the Central Europeans, in part because no one believes that France’s nuclear deterrent is capable of covering the Continent, and British nuclear deterrent is almost entirely dependent on American nuclear missiles. |
| Mr. Macron loves being disruptive and asking questions that others do not ask, at least in public. But if he does that on the question of nuclear deterrence, Ms. Major said, “it will be champagne on ice in Moscow.” | Mr. Macron loves being disruptive and asking questions that others do not ask, at least in public. But if he does that on the question of nuclear deterrence, Ms. Major said, “it will be champagne on ice in Moscow.” |