They will support Ukraine “as long as necessary”: Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent a signal of unity from the White House on Friday, to Russia but also, indirectly, to China.
This visit to the White House is the second of the German leader, who had already been there on February 7, 2022. At the time, Russia was “amassing its troops” on the Ukrainian border, recalled Joe Biden from the Oval Office, where both men made short statements to the press.
Westerners had then promised to “respond” and “we kept our word”, said the American president, thanking Olaf Scholz seated near him.
“You have stepped up” in support of kyiv, he said, as Germany recently agreed, after long hesitation, to deliver tanks to Ukraine.
Olaf Scholz judged him “very important” to send a “message” concerning Ukraine, namely that “we will continue (to support it) as long as necessary”.
The Kremlin had already criticized this meeting.
“The United States is continuing its policy of increasing arms deliveries to Ukraine and persuading its proteges to do the same,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
The White House on Friday announced new military aid to Ukraine to the tune of $400 million, consisting mainly of ammunition.
The absence of a joint press conference has raised questions about the persistence of tensions that have arisen recently around the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine.
The two leaders therefore tried to dispel this impression, Olaf Scholz judging that the bilateral relationship was “very good”.
The meeting comes after several episodes of tension, whether it is Joe Biden’s frontal opposition upon his election to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, carried out with Moscow, or the massive subsidies to American green industries provided for in his “Inflation Reduction Act” plan. “.
But the tension has especially risen recently around the question of sending tanks to Ukraine.
Germany finally agreed on January 26 to send a significant number of its Leopard tanks, a turning point in Western military support.
For her to consent, the United States had to promise heavy armor itself, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
Mr. Biden had “originally decided not to send them because his soldiers told him that they would not be useful on the battlefield”, he explained on the ABC channel.
A version that the German government does not endorse, ensuring that the discussions consisted of building a “common approach”, without Berlin forcing Washington’s hand.
Also on the menu for discussion: “the challenges posed by China”, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, at a time when Washington accuses Beijing of considering arms deliveries to Moscow.
The White House noted with undisguised satisfaction that the German chancellor, whose country has a close economic relationship with China, had publicly warned Beijing against lethal military support for Russia.
“Our views and those of Germany agree,” said a senior White House official on Thursday during an interview with reporters.
China is a point of “friction”, also commented Robin Quinville, of the Wilson Center research center in Washington.
“German economic officials (and many politicians) criticize what they believe to be American attempts” to weaken the bilateral relations of their allies with China, recalls the expert.
“A year ago, Scholz’s bold about-face on German defense policy won him praise from Washington. This year, Washington will urge Scholz to continue to choose boldness over caution,” he said. she summarized.
03/03/2023 21:08:14 – Washington (AFP) – © 2023 AFP