The apparent rift in the posited Franco-German alliance this week found its expressing in the bickering between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron, though the episode is hardly without precedent.

While historically speaking both powers have at times directed military effort in an eastwards direction, the current different follows Emmanuel Macron's suggestion that Western troops might be sent to the Ukraine front. In response to this, Chancellor Scholz insisted there "will be no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European states or by NATO states".

German magazine Spiegel has gone as far as calling the stand-off a "disaster."

On specifics while in Paris, Chancellor Scholz referenced the German-Swedish made Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile, implying that German personnel would be needed to launch it; arguably this is not the case in fact.

Scholz said: "The Taurus missile has a range of 500 kilometers and can, if deployed incorrectly hit specific targets in Moscow, making it a weapon that cannot be simply decided upon via self-indulgent slogans about what to do with it and how to use it."

On the other hand, one expert told "Aktuaalne kaamera" that there was an element of posturing in French current rhetoric.

Roland Freudenstein, head of think tank the Brussels Freedom Hub, told ERR's Joosep Värk: "This is another element which Olaf Scholz brought up, and many German opinion makers are bringing up now, is that France has grandiose rhetoric, but it doesn't match it with actions:"

While the Paris meeting has been in European security policy circles been considered important and a positive step, likely only Russia can benefit from the fractures, it is felt.

Estonian MEP Urmas Paet (Reform) told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "With this incident and the initial delays, the issue is being parlayed into something bigger than it really is. In other words, actually discussing a halt on Taurus, or the missile's range, would serve to deepen the skepticism of those who are already skeptical."

The situation on the front has worsened for Ukraine and so for supporters too, which has caused some tension and finger-pointing between allied nations in recent weeks. According to Roland Freudenstein, who the real opponent is should not be forgotten.

"Instead of deepening the divisions, our leaders should get together and they should disarm, rhetorically, vis-a-vis each other, and instead we should arm ourselves, vis-a-vis Putin. That's what has to happen," Freudenstein said.

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