Biden and German Chancellor Scholz prepare for crucial White House meeting for talks on China’s threats to arm Russia and Republicans threatening to audit all US weapons sent to Ukraine
- Two men will sit in the Oval Office for a private meeting on Friday
- Will discuss their recent encounters with Zelensky
- Zelensky wants more Western weapons as China fears arming Russia
President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss the war in Ukraine during a closed-door meeting at the White House on Friday as China plans to arm Russia and Republicans push back on US aid to a war-torn country.
The two leaders are expected to discuss meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the past month – Biden when he visited Kiev two weeks ago and Scholz when Zelensky visited Paris in early February – and his requests for additional military aid.
Zelensky is pressing the West for more powerful weapons as he prepares for a spring counteroffensive against Russia in the coming months.
“The main purpose of this meeting was a chance for the two leaders to be able to coordinate specifically on Ukraine,” a senior administration official said.
President Joe Biden (left) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) will meet in the Oval Office on Friday – above the two men meeting at the G7 summit in Germany
Zelensky’s arms request comes as China fears arming Russia with artillery and drones to aid its invasion, giving Moscow much-needed supplies as it faces equipment shortages.
White House spokesman John Kirby said the United States does not believe that China has decided to send weapons to Russia – at least for now – “but we do not believe that ‘they took it off the table’.
The United States has raised concerns with China and warned that sending weapons to Russia is “not in their best interest”, Kirby said at Thursday’s press conference at the White House.
He also said the United States would announce another round of military assistance to Ukraine on Friday that would involve “ammunition and ammunition the Ukrainians will need for the systems they already have, like the HIMARS and the artillery”.
But questions have been raised about what else is on the agenda given the quiet nature of the trip: Scholz isn’t bringing a traveling press with him, the two leaders won’t be holding a joint press conference and the Germans announced the trip all at once. -line release.
The two men are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office for about an hour, including a private one-on-one.
Their meeting comes as concerns grow in Europe about how long a united front of support for Ukraine will last, especially with the upcoming US presidential election and Republicans pushing to cut US aid.
Additionally, House Republicans have promised to review and verify the more than $112 billion in military and economic aid that the Democratic-controlled Congress approved last year.
Ukrainian servicemen fire a shell from an FH-70 towed howitzer on the front line with Russia
Olaf Scholz was last in the White House in February 2022 (above) just after becoming chancellor and before Russia invaded Ukraine
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has pushed for an audit of US military and economic aid to Ukraine – a move widely supported by the GOP.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the United States has sent a wide range of weapons systems across the pond, including hundreds of anti-tank missiles, suicide drones and various anti-armour munitions.
There are also signs that Western allies are increasingly wary of sending more money to Ukraine, fearing that their populations will lose interest in the conflict.
Washington and its allies pressured Germany to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine – a move Scholz accepted after the United States pledged to send its Abrams tanks. There are fears that the sophisticated weapons will not be useful to Ukraine due to the high maintenance requirements and extensive training to use them.
Biden eventually sent 31 Abrams tanks and Germany agreed to deliver 14 Leopard 2s.
“We wanted to make sure we were all together,” Biden said.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan suggested Biden sent the material to appease the Germans.
“In the interests of alliance unity and to ensure that Ukraine gets what it wants, despite the Abrams not being the tool they need, the President said “Okay, I’m going to be the leader of the free I’ll send Abrams on the road if you send Leopards now,” Sullivan told ABC News. “And that’s actually an example of Joe Biden rallying the global coalition to get what Ukraine needs.”
Biden and Scholz last met at the White House in February 2022, shortly after Scholz took over as chancellor and before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Since then, they have met in Europe – usually at NATO and G7/G20 leaders’ meetings.
President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss their recent meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – Biden (top left) during his trip to Kyiv a few weeks ago and Scholz (top right) with the French President Emmanuel Macron when Zelensky was in Paris in early February
