As of: February 8, 2024, 10:28 a.m
By: Stefan Krieger
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The Chancellor is setting off today on his third visit to Washington since taking office.
He is accompanied by criticism from the Union.
The news ticker.
Trip to the
USA
: Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets with US President Joe Biden
Union
with demand to
Scholz
: “Clear solidarity” with Washington
This news ticker about Chancellor Olaf Scholz's trip to the USA is continually updated.
Update from February 8th, 10:02 a.m
.: More concrete actions instead of purely symbolic politics: Before the Chancellor's planned trip to the USA, the Union accused the federal government of a failure in security policy.
In view of an impending change of course in the US government, Germany and the EU must become more independent of the Western protective power, demanded CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen.
It is “existentially important that Olaf Scholz travels to Washington with clear proof that we have understood: We have to do more for our own security,” said Röttgen to
IPPEN.MEDIA
and called for an expansion of arms production.
Unfortunately, it looks as if “the Chancellor and the EU still have not understood the seriousness of the situation”.
Above all, the Union fears a comeback by Donald Trump in the upcoming US election in November 2023. The former US president accuses Germany of insufficient commitment to defense spending and regularly threatens to reduce the USA's protective role in NATO.
Against this background, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is traveling to Washington for 24 hours on Thursday.
A one-hour conversation with US President Joe Biden is also planned.
Scholz's trip to the USA: The Chancellor flies to Washington for a flying visit to President Biden
First report
: Washington, DC - It's about the war in Ukraine and the current situation in the Middle East: Chancellor Olaf Scholz is leaving on Thursday afternoon (February 8th) for a two-day visit to the USA.
According to a government spokesman, the focus of the visit will be a “detailed conversation” with US President Joe Biden on Friday in the White House.
According to information from government circles, a joint press conference is not yet planned.
On Thursday, Scholz will first meet members of the US Congress for dinner.
The leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives as well as important defense politicians were invited, it said.
Washington has so far been Ukraine's most important supporter in the war against Russia.
However, further military aid totaling around $61 billion (almost €56 billion) has been blocked for months by the opposition Republicans in the US Congress.
Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden during the Federal Chancellor's visit in March 2023. © IMAGO/Oliver Contreras
Scholz supports Biden
Shortly before his trip to Washington, Scholz supported the incumbent US President Joe Biden with a view to the 2024 US elections in November.
“The American President Biden is someone who has worked very hard for the cohesion of American democracy - and that is why I believe that he has a chance,” said the SPD member of the Bundestag on Wednesday in Stahnsdorf near Potsdam during a conversation with citizens citizens in his constituency.
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A boy had turned to him: “Good evening, Mr. Chancellor.
My question is what would happen to Germany's security if Trump came to power." Former US President Donald Trump is considered Biden's most likely challenger.
“A really good question,” said Scholz, but added: “I don’t think we should act as if that is already certain.”
Union with demands on Scholz
The Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag has called on the Chancellor to seek clear solidarity with Washington during his visit to the USA.
Scholz must “emphasize in word and deed that Germany is clearly on the side of the USA,” said the foreign policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Jürgen Hardt, to the
AFP
news agency on Tuesday.
“Relief in security policy and a clear renunciation of going it alone in China policy would be a start.”
Scholz had “significantly strained US President Biden’s great patience,” said Hardt.
“The federal government became a transatlantic free rider under the 'traffic light'.” Scholz must now “finally send a clear transatlantic signal.”
(with agency material)