The diplomatic ballet continues to try to avoid a Russian invasion of Ukraine. When Emmanuel Macron was in Moscow, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Washington on Monday February 7. The goal: to show the unity of Westerners against Russia. A task that is not always easy, especially regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, linking Germany to Russia.
With our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin
Since the beginning of the crisis, the United States has promised unprecedented sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine and insist on the unity of Westerners. But Germany does not take up this offensive discourse on its own. So much so that Joe Biden is forced to reiterate his confidence in Olaf Scholz:
” There’s no need to win back the trust, he has all the trust of the United States : Germany is one of our most important allies in the world. There is no doubt about Germany’s partnership with the United States, no “, insists the American president.
Except that there obviously remain points of friction: for example on the fate of the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 which directly connects Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. The United States has long opposed it and Joe Biden announces his cut in case of invasion :
” If Russia invades Ukraine, with tanks or troops crossing the border, then there will be no more Nord Stream 2. We will end it. »
Olaf Scholz, meanwhile, is careful not to mention the pipeline : “ We act together, we are absolutely united, we will not take divergent measures. We will take the same measures and they will be very hard on Russia and they should understand that. »
The German Chancellor also recalls that his country is one of the largest contributors to economic aid to Ukraine.