The leaders of the two allied countries gave a message of unity before the meeting held in the shadow of the Ukraine crisis. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who went to the USA for the first time since he was elected prime minister in Germany, met with US President Joe Biden in the capital Washington. Before the meeting, which took place in the shadow of the Ukraine crisis, the parties gave messages of unity, partnership and close cooperation.
Biden, who made a statement before the meeting at the White House, said that the USA and Germany took the “appropriate step” in the Ukraine crisis. “We are taking appropriate steps to prevent Russian aggression in Europe,” Biden said. Biden also said that the two countries acted together in overcoming difficulties stemming from China. Stating that Germany is one of the closest allies of the USA, Biden expressed his satisfaction with the close cooperation.
German Chancellor Scholz also emphasized the partnership of the two countries in his statement before the meeting. Faced with the criticism that Germany is not putting enough pressure on Russia, Scholz gave unity messages before meeting with Biden. Scholz said, “We are close allies, and we act in coordination and unity with each other in the fight against the current crisis.” Stating that Russia’s possible intervention in Ukraine would have a “very high cost”, Scholz also rejected the accusations in a statement to the Washington Post newspaper and said, “We are the strongest economic supporter of Ukraine.”
Germany’s refusal to send weapons to Ukraine and its failure to step back from the Nord Stream 2 project, which was supposed to carry Russian gas to Germany, led to criticism in the United States.
Foreign Minister Baerbock in Ukraine
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock went to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, for the second time in the last three weeks. Foreign Minister Baerbock, who gave the message that Germany stands by Ukraine during his visit to Kiev, said, “We will do our best to avoid a new tension.” Baerbock said, “Nothing is more threatened than European peace right now,” said Baerbock. “Our greatest strength in this dangerous situation is our unity.”
Saying that Russia would face “heavy sanctions” if it invaded Ukraine, the German Foreign Minister underlined that he would not hesitate to resort to sanctions despite the great economic cost. Speaking at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, Baerbock emphasized that Germany, the European country with the tightest economic ties with Russia, is ready to bear the consequences of possible sanctions against Russia. Baerbock said, “We stand with Ukraine,” and did not make any statement regarding the German government’s stance on arms shipments to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba gave diplomatic messages. “We found contact points today; we are waiting for the decision of the German government,” Kuleba said. It was reflected in the German media that the Ukrainian government requested weapons from Germany and sent a list of the requested weapons to Berlin. However, the German government, led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has so far adopted a stance that rejects arms shipments to Ukraine.
Mediation visit from Macron
On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron went to Russia to hold talks in order to ease the tension between Russia and Ukraine and Western countries.
Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital Moscow, Macron said he expects a “meaningful reaction” from Europe and Russia to ease tensions. Macron stated that what is at stake is building confidence and stability, as well as preventing a war in Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia shares France’s concerns about Europe’s security. Macron will also hold a series of talks in Ukraine on Tuesday.
According to US intelligence, there are 110,000 Russian soldiers on the border.
US intelligence agencies announced that Russia has deployed 70 percent of the troops necessary for a possible invasion of Ukraine on the border. According to the statement of the US intelligence agencies, Russia sent 110,000 soldiers to the border with Ukraine. American officials note that if the deployment of troops on the Russia-Ukraine border continues at this rate, 150,000 Russian soldiers can be ready for invasion by mid-February. The Russian government, on the other hand, rejects Western accusations that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine.
dpa,AFP/BO,EC
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