The leadership role that Scholz claims for himself and Germany is put into perspective simply by the fact that there is still a medium-sized power with global ambitions in the EU.
This is also known in the White House, which is why French President Macron is enjoying a state reception in Washington for the second time.
For the current transatlantic unity, which Putin certainly did not expect, Paris was perhaps even more important than Berlin.
Even during the Cold War, France insisted on a special role in NATO, and Macron has famously described the alliance as brain dead.
Tough competition in climate protection
The current consensus on Ukraine does not change the fact that Europe and America also have conflicts of interest.
Biden's climate protection subsidies are an obvious case that shows all Europeans, especially the missionary Germans, that this issue is also about tough industrial competition.
The question of how to deal with China in the future is likely to become even more fundamental.
It can already be observed in NATO that Biden is demanding a price from the Europeans for supporting Ukraine and securing Europe.
Still, growing consensus on China was reported from the Alliance's Bucharest meeting.
The consequences of a disagreement between the West and the West have long been studied in the case of Russia.