France, Poland, Germany meet to show unity, cooperation against Russian disinformation

By Hafsa Alami

PARIS (AA) - New French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and his German and Polish counterparts, Annalena Baerbock and Radoslaw Sikorski, have met near Paris.

Monday's meeting aimed to revive the so-called Weimar Triangle to enhance cooperation on the challenges that Europe is facing, such as information attacks launched by Russia against France, Poland, and Germany.

“Our three countries have been victims of the same destabilization strategy. On Monday, we will make announcements on new cooperation against disinformation and Russian information attacks” said Sejourne in an interview with the daily Ouest-France, published on Saturday.

He said he believes that the goal of these attacks is to split public opinion instead of dividing the EU leaders who continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, with financial and military aid.

The top diplomats of the three countries have also discussed support for Ukraine in the lead, and unity in the face of the threats made by former US President Donald Trump as Sikorski affirmed: “We will not allow ourselves to be divided.”

On Saturday, Trump threatened to no longer guarantee the protection of NATO countries against Moscow if they did not pay their share.

“No, I would not protect you,” Trump said during a campaign meeting. “In fact, I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever they want,” he added.

While reiterating the importance of defending Ukraine, Baerbock insisted on the “need for a European security and defense union.”

“The billions we are spending in Ukraine are billions we are investing in our own security,” she added.

The three European countries have considerable weight both demographically, with around 200 million inhabitants, and militarily within the EU, as they represent more than a quarter of the bloc's spending in defense.

Issues of the Middle East were also discussed, such as the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. "If Israel begins an offensive in Rafah, it will be a humanitarian catastrophe waiting to happen,” warned Baerbock.

The trilateral Weimar Triangle was created in 1991 to promote a shared vision for Europe, to bring the three European powers together, and forge closer ties between their societies.

The last meeting of the triangle's representatives took place last June. The ministers of economy and finance met to discuss the financial support measures to be provided to Ukraine.