French and German leaders gloss over divisions at summit

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend a joint news conference as part of a Franco-German joint cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool

PARIS (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany sought at a summit on Sunday to pave over divisions that have dogged Europe's closest bilateral relation since the war in Ukraine broke out, leaving many of their most vexed issues to be worked out later.

In a show of pageantry and unity, the two governments marked the 60th anniversary of a friendship treaty signed by France's Charles de Gaulle and Germany's Konrad Adenauer with speeches at the Sorbonne University in Paris and a joint cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace.