Amid growing dissatisfaction with the German hesitance to take a clear stance on Russia’s stirrings of war over Ukraine, German chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet Monday with US President Biden in Washington.
White House meeting comes at a critical time for the leaders as tensions with Russia increase along with criticism, especially from the German opposition but also within Scholz’s own governing coalition, which believes this meeting comes too late to a clear message that Germany is coordinated with the US along with the most important European states.
Germany was being increasingly portrayed as the weakest link in the West’s response to Russia since it opted for a softer response while the US has threatened Russia for weeks with sanctions if it invades Ukraine.
On top of refusing to send military equipment – and even hampered attempts by its allies to do so – to Ukraine or deploy more troops to the eastern flank, Berlin is also hesitating to shut down Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that the West believes it’s being used as a weapon against Ukraine by Moscow.
Also, Germany has reportedly blocked Estonian arms exports to Ukraine since the weapons were of German origin, prompting criticism from Ukraine’s foreign minister, who even said that Germany’s reluctance to deliver weapons to Ukraine could encourage a Russian invasion
Scholz, however, has refused these allegations in an interview with ARD on Sunday, stressing that Berlin has clear strategy with its allies for a very long time, emphasizing that his inaugural trip to the US comes at exactly the right time.
He also underscored that Germany has provided the largest economic and financial assistance to Ukraine since 2014.
The new German Chancellor’s visit to the US only two months after he took office is highlighting the importance of the US-German relationship although Scholz was given a chance to meet with President Biden in October at the G-2 summit when he was accompanying former Chancellor Angela Merkel on her meeting with the US President.
Be the first to comment