Macron is mostly a political opportunist. He so dearly wants to be Europe's leader, and he sees a moment where his main rival - Scholz - is a face-planting coward. Macron sees the shift toward a more aggressive stance in supporting Ukraine; he wants to jump in front of the line and be band-leader.

And, BTW, you know that line about not being a coward is directly aimed at Scholz. And deservedly so.