President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on February 7. During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss tensions between Russia and Ukraine and other issues.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki noted that the two leaders will also discuss the importance of close cooperation in common struggles to end the Covid-19 pandemic, address the threat of climate change, and promote economic prosperity and international security.
The German government spokesperson denied the media reports last week that Scholz, who took the post of chancellor last month after Angela Merkel, did not accept a last-minute invitation from Biden to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
Biden spoke to Scholz last month to convey his congratulations, and the two leaders discussed a range of issues, including Russia’s build-up on the Ukrainian border.
Russia’s deployment of troops on the border raises concerns that it will invade Ukraine; However, Moscow denies the invasion allegations. The United States has been trying for weeks to reach an agreement with its European partners to impose a tough package of sanctions in case Russia attacks Ukraine.
In the statement made by the US Department of State on January 26, it was stated that the Nord Stream 2 project would not continue if Russia invaded Ukraine.
With Nord Stream 2, Europe’s most controversial energy project, it is aimed to double the amount of natural gas transferred directly from Russia to Germany by bypassing Ukraine.
The USA and the European Union oppose the project on the grounds that it will increase Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and cause Ukraine to lose transit country income.