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Meeting with US President Biden: Scholz alone in Washington

2023-03-03T14:17:31.816Z


Chancellor Scholz traveled to the USA without a delegation and without the company of the press. There will also be no press conference with President Biden. Efforts are being made locally to dispel rumors of a rift.


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US President Joe Biden and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau

Photo: Martin Meissner / AP

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is meeting with US President Joe Biden this Friday in the White House in the US capital Washington.

For about an hour, the two want to talk in private, above all about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, as a high-ranking representative of the US government said on Thursday evening (local time).

Other issues could also be discussed, such as China's joint challenge to the two countries, said National Security Council communications director John Kirby.

The meeting is to take place primarily in the Oval Office, the US President's study.

Alleged rift between the heads of government?

Before the meeting, the US government was struggling to dispel rumors of an alleged falling out between the two leaders over back-and-forth tank supplies to Ukraine.

In a briefing for journalists Thursday night, a senior government official said Biden has been trying to build a strong alliance on arms aid to Ukraine over the past few months.

"Chancellor Scholz was a great partner on this issue," it says.

Biden has coordinated so closely with hardly any other head of government, especially in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, Olaf Scholz's second visit to Washington as Chancellor is unusual.

The Federal Chancellor traveled to the USA without journalists and without a business delegation.

A press conference after the meeting is also not planned.

The White House said it was a working visit.

The close coordination with the USA, which Chancellor Scholz always emphasizes as his priority, was also praised in Washington.

"We had a good connection to Berlin," it said in the briefing.

Scholz and Biden themselves made three extensive calls on the subject of arms deliveries.

»Good opportunity to bring each other up to speed«

The fact that Scholz only travels to a work appointment without a press conference or joint appearances with Biden is not considered unusual in Washington.

The visit is a "good opportunity to bring each other up to date" and to deepen the already close relationship.

Biden and Scholz will meet in the Oval Office of the White House for a good hour, after a short chat with their closest advisers they want to talk privately, it said in Washington.

The fact that Scholz, unlike French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, is not received in the USA with a state visit with a lot of glamor and glory should not be interpreted as a sign.

"This is not an indication of a bad relationship with Germany," it said at the briefing.

In addition to the question of how things will continue in Ukraine, further dealings with China are also on the agenda.

Here, too, the unity between Biden and Scholz was emphasized.

"Chancellor Scholz, like us, warned China against supplying arms to Russia," it said, "here too we are pursuing a common approach."

The United States recently warned China more and more urgently about the delivery of arms to Russia, and for a few days now the statements have also included the threat that sanctions will be imposed on China if such deliveries take place.

It is the chancellor's second visit to the White House in the almost 15 months of his tenure so far.

At the beginning of February 2022 he was in Washington for his inaugural visit.

Even then, Ukraine played the central role.

By that time, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers had already deployed to the border of the neighboring country.

A good two weeks later, on February 24, 2022, Russia began the invasion.

muk/mgb/dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2023-03-03

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