milestone. >> ukraine says what weather and terrain is making a counteroffensive more difficult. the president says the fiercest fighting is taking place in the eastern domestic region. >> there have been no significant changes on the frontline. most is taking place other where. it's the place where insanity

becomes more evident. there concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes. all of the soldiers are heroes. >> confrontations have taken place between iran's security forces and demonstrators. thousands of protesters have marched to the cemetery where it was marked 40 days. the 22-year-old was arrested by the so-called morality police. at least 15 people have been killed in an attack on a shrine in iran. the energy company that operates a gas field says it began producing gas on wednesday. the site has been at the center of the maritime border dispute between israel and lebanon for years. they're expected to sign a deal on thursday.

pope francis is bless the family of a murdered journalist in vatican city. she was targeted and shot dead by the israeli forces. the u.k. new leader has faced his first prime minister's questions. he was accused of leading a government that puts in his words party first and country second. those are the headlines. inside stories next. -- inside story is next. >> a long-standing relationship in crisis. french and german leaders meet.

what sort of fallout could there be if the twoiggest economies can find common ground? this is inside story. hello and welcome to the program. the relationship between germany and france is described as the motor that drives the european union. the two biggest economies work closely together to shape policies that affect the rest of the continent. the alliance is under strain. they have classed on european positions on energy, defense and the war in ukraine. a yearly meaning was postponed at the last minute. other eu members including poland and lafayette have

accused berlin of not acting in common interest. the france leader had this to say at a summit last week. >> it is not good for a country to isolate itself. our goal is to everything for germany to be part of it. i hope we can find paths. we are moving forward and we will continue to do so. >> we will bring in our guests in a moment. first here's a report from paris. reporter: it's one to portray a sense of unity. it's a cap on energy prices. soaring prices have been rattling the economy in the european continent and we have

to wait. germany is putting $100 billion to modernize its military. the french military welcomed the move. a combination of assistance. the german chancellor is going to travel and they have to understand that you is concerned about and in clement -- influence of china globally.

this explains why the french are concerned. the firm should come together, strong signal to the international community, soaring prices. it's going to be maintaining the unity among the countries. >> let's take a closer look. the coalition government is no lender keeping to the policy on arms exports. on energy, germany is against imposing a cap on gas prices.

it wants paris to authorize a new pipeline and green hydrogen from spain, but france has refused. some countries has poured billions of dollars into its own economy. that criticism comes after $200 billion in state aid to businesses and households to get them through the energy crisis. let's bring in our guests. a news website. multilevel governance. in brussels, european. the french government welcomes you. >> what we know and what makes

it so important is that german and french physicians come from different ends. what is different this time and level of stress and pressure is high. it works as a catalyst to pre-existing tensions. defense issues, and also the internal fundamental differences.

that's crucial with the fundamental differences. i don't want to be too skeptical they can't be over hug. -- overcome. it's not going very smoothly. i would stay positive and say it's hard work. >> i want to go over to julian.

one of the leading french newspapers in an editorial described relations as glacial. is that an assessment you agree with? >> media outlets are trying to get more viewers so they hyped things up a little bit, especially when it comes to crises like this. there is a very serious problem. not only do we have the german government going solo when it comes to energy policy and ignoring the ability to work with other states, not only do we have the snub from the summit that happens every year,

recently we had a string of events where the german government, most likely due to internal wrangling in trying to solidify a position at home, last month there was a meeting between the prime minister and olaf scholz which was first canceled, than a video conference was canceled after because he was too sick to attend. a few hours after this, he appeared in a video at the press conference. he announced an energy relief package. this seems to be freewheeling in many ways. it's rubbing paris the wrong way. this is a problem at the time of geopolitical crises. we need this.

>> let's bring in peter. describing german behavior as irresponsible. >> makes the nation is relatively simple. there is a need to make certain concessions because of world war ii guilt. if you look at what both sides are annoyed about, the solution is not necessarily so complicated, to sum up, the

relief package is not in line with fair competition. the french have a point. on the other hand, when france is asking for price regulation, germany warning that if you regulate the prices of gas, you will end up with no gas, i think to look at the pipeline which germany would be keen on probably, france could rethink its opposition. these differences can be bridged, but it basically entails germany to understand that it is fine to pursue its own self-interest, but it is in a self-interest to stick to the

original fundamentals of the single market. >> let's drill down into some of the specifics. the defense strategy is one issue. the way berlin has chosen to go down its own way rather than in accord with powers. >> the term which was central in the first half. this -- capacities that gave europe an autonomous, we're

shifting material from one part to another part. this money is not even money that will not be a permanent budget. they've much more money. in order to overcome, they have to -- this forces a lot of irritation.

could the german government come to terms with the problems, see it in other fields in different ways. >> that is something you brought up a moment ago, this could have something to do with germany's domestic politics, the differences we are witnessing with germany and france. let me ask you about this issue with the caps on gas prices which germany is against. how big is the difference? >> like everything, it's going to be a question of these countries cooperating, france needs to cooperate with germany and germany need to cooperate with france.

the german coalition is in the middle of the conflict internally. you have an issue when it comes to nuclear power. true for example when he announced the $100 million in defense, half of that would be spent on replenishing munitions. it will be a key part of the air force, canceled the trolls. by signing the air defense shield with 13 nato states, this

is a problem because normally we see france going rogue but now we're seeing the german state trying to move away. >> largely as a result of the ukraine war. state aid to businesses and household to get them through the crisis was seen as a betrayal by france. as germany right to go at this alone? >> no. it's not very hard to see this is a violation of fair competition within the european union, subsidies, if you're talking about such a massive support program, it's hard to

argue this is merely supporting businesses in a reasonable manner. this goes way beyond, when you have the same government that has not decided to keep its nuclear power plants open. the french government has not always pursued perfect policies, but when it comes to energy and geo-strategy, france has always been a responsible government. , they can of course make its own decision, the decision to sell the port of hamburg to a conglomerate, this is puzzling.

especially if you look at the situation in germany after it made itself way too dependent on russian gas. not only because it shutting down nuclear, domestic fossil fuels. it's one thing to shut down imports before you sit down your own production. i think germany can learn a lot from the french government. >> dimensions china. i will stick with you. there is the issue of china. the chancellor has a plan to travel to china, reportedly alone.

>> germany is repeating the same mistake with china. i am personally willing to forgive germany a little bit on that. the relationship with china is complex. do we stop all trade with china? that's not a good idea. too dependent? not a good idea. some kind of a middle ground will have to be found, germany has decided to go on its own and could correct that by organizing yet another mission with other european partners at the later stage. it is possible, but to get it right with china is not easy. >> how will allies be looking at all of this? will they be rattled by these divisions? >> non-european allies may

believe this is a speedbump and hope things get back on track, on military matters we need to be coordinated. it reduces blackmail by rogue states like russian states. to a back to the point on china, this is becoming a problem. across the eu, states are asking themselves why germany is going on its own, as if they are rushing to be the first to go and see the new leader. for example, when the european commission is making trips to china, there was a big effort to get involved. european leaders as well. germany seems to be bucking this trend.

>> had his trust begin to get repaired, and looking ahead, redefinition or reset? >> germany won't be able to sort any of those problems. international relations. energy has been a national policy.

there is a long history of nuclear energy getting back in. it's complicated. china is a big issue in germany. it's been pushed by six ministers. it's a stronger position. there are other european ports, on all of these issues, we need eu coordination. >> to germany and france have the political will to reassure allies that they still are the driving force? >> i am not sure. i'm quite positive that learning

and understanding won't work, it's still too early for germany . >> can allies be reassured going forward? >> when you're talking about the spirit of cooperation, and one of the things france is looking to get rid of his extra debt. you can see this undermines unity. transfers, big tensions and discussions. i would avoid that now. >> final word?

how do you see this playing out? >> like a lot of issues, it's easy for the relationship at this point, these two will come to an agreement even if it comes from parliamentary ministers or other actors. the states understand the importance of european unity. we will see a resolution. how long will that take? >> thank you so much. we will have to leave that there. we appreciate your time.

thank you for watching. you can see the program on facebook, join the conversation on twitter. for myself and the whole team here, thanks for watching and goodbye for now. ñn■xx■x■x■x■x■x■x■x■x■x■x■x■x■xx o

man: theew deal ograms tthe more fous arsts of o own time wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for thfederal t projec woman: ts is aind of a momenthere to me twe a going tneed somhing akino the nedeal, anthe ts must part oft. and cuure. arts an indtry, t a cae. usic]