Paris, 26 October 2022 (dpa/MIA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron are meeting for talks in Paris on Wednesday, as they seek to iron out differences over European energy and defence policies against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. The Franco-German Council of Ministers was due to meet in Fontainebleau near Paris, but the meeting was postponed last week at short notice - a very unusual step for the allies. The reason cited for the delay was the need for coordination on "bilateral issues," a German government spokesperson said. The Élysée Palace said that more time was needed for coordination on defence and energy policies, and that the delay did not imply anything about the state of Franco-German relations. Scholz will now travel to Paris without his ministers for a one-to-one dinner with Macron. Tensions between the leaders were laid bare at an EU summit in Brussels last week, when Macron warned that Germany should not isolate itself in the face of multiple crises. He was referring to Berlin's opposition to an EU-wide cap on gas prices. Another sticking point is defence policy. Both countries want to strengthen European defence, but there is no real progress in joint armament projects such as the development of the new FCAS fighter aircraft. Germany wants to build a better European air defence system with 14 other countries, France is reportedly worried about a possible arms race. Though German government officials have dismissed claims of discord, Macron acknowledged that the relationship - seen by many as the motor that drives the EU - needed a reset. German opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the conservative CDU placed the blame for the Franco-German tensions squarely with Scholz's government. "The chancellor must use this trip to get the Franco-German engine running again," Merz told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper on Wednesday.