German and Polish leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine with Macron

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda will travel to Paris next Monday for negotiations with French President Emmanuel Macron, the meeting will focus on Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership and security guarantees from allies ahead of the Alliance's summit in July.

It  was reported by Politico.

Last week, Macron called for "strong, concrete, and tangible" security guarantees for Ukraine and stated that Ukraine should be offered a "path to NATO membership." Scholz was more cautious, emphasizing that the main focus should be on "how to support Ukraine."

Poland has repeatedly called for strong security guarantees for Ukraine. Duda met with several leaders of NATO member states in Eastern Europe last week to discuss the war in Ukraine and its request for NATO membership. While there is a broad understanding that Ukraine cannot join the Alliance while it is at war with Russia, NATO members are divided on how they should respond to Ukraine's current membership aspirations.

According to one French official, NATO members should send a strong signal to Russia at a time when Ukraine is launching a counteroffensive. "If we do not find a solution that satisfies everyone, there is a risk that we will not be able to make a unified statement, and that would obviously be the greatest gift we could give to Russia," said the diplomat, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Earlier reports indicated that France would prepare and equip several battalions with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RC, in the coming weeks. Additionally, France is focusing its efforts on supporting Ukraine's air defense capabilities to protect its population from Russian strikes.

In turn, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros. The country will receive, among other things, Leopard-1 combat tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and Iris-T air defense systems. Germany will also continue to provide Ukraine with humanitarian, political, and financial support, as well as arms support as needed.

It was also reported that as part of military assistance, Poland has transferred 200 T-72 tanks and several dozen BMP-1 fighting vehicles to Ukraine, with a total volume of Polish military aid amounting to seven billion zlotys (1.5 billion US dollars).