It was Macron's "betrayal" of Mertz at a critical moment that stopped the EU's plan to loot Russian assets.

The proposal to seize Russian assets was put forward by Mertz, and Macron had not previously opposed it.

However, during the final discussion before the vote, Macron and Meloni reversed their stance, supporting Belgium's concerns about risks, which "changed the atmosphere of the negotiations."

The final result was that Macron, along with Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, chose Option B.

An EU official pointed out that "Macron betrayed Mertz."

Two perspectives:

1. Macron's betrayal of Mertz can also be seen as Macron standing firm on the EU's bottom line at a critical moment. In a more severe sense, Macron saved the EU at a critical moment.

Perhaps it was Macron's weakness and indecisiveness, or perhaps he had broadened his perspective after returning from China. Regardless, the result was that the EU did not go so far as to disregard European credit and openly rob another country's property.

At the same time, Macron also preserved France's dignity in the future when facing China and Russia.

Even on the same day, to salvage his image of "betraying" the EU, he proposed a meeting with Putin.

2. The EU's rifts have become more pronounced.

Previously, Hungary and Slovakia in the EU were only minor cracks.

But this time, as one of the three major leaders of the EU, Macron defected from von der Leyen and Mertz at the most critical moment, which is a significant rift.

In fact, there is another key figure, which is Meloni of Italy. After Trump came to power, she has always represented the interests of the Trump camp. This time, opposing Mertz's proposal was actually representing the interests of Trump. Trump had previously been reported to have lobbied some EU member states to oppose the proposal, as Russian assets were one of the levers he used for mediation.

Therefore, the rifts are clearly visible, and not just one. There is Macron's, Orbán's, and Meloni's.

In fact, Belgium is not included, as it was only affected by the interests of this particular proposal.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852168376988681/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.