Scholz to weigh next steps for Ukraine

BERLIN — US President Joe Biden hosts German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Friday for talks on charting the way ahead in their support for Ukraine, after friction over tank deliveries to Kyiv.

Scholz’s first trip to Washington since February 2022 offers the leaders the opportunity to demonstrate their resolve in backing Ukraine against Russia.

But the talks will likely delve into thorny issues dividing the two, including Germany’s fears over Washington’s green subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, and US caution over Berlin’s continued strong economic ties with Beijing.

“I think the two of them are now more concerned about the way ahead -- what will the next months in Ukraine look like?

What does that mean for the support that the allies can organise for Ukraine?” said Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

They will “certainly discuss one or two other topics”, he said, but added that he did not wish to mention them.

In an address to parliament on the eve of the meeting, Scholz said the two countries’ partnership was “closer and more trusting than ever”.

As the war in Ukraine entered its second year, Scholz also offered a hint at the ongoing ruminations among allies.

“We are speaking with Kyiv and other partners over future security guarantees for Ukraine,” he told the Bundestag. But the chancellor’s visit also comes after a period of tensions, namely over the delivery of modern battle tanks sought by officials in Kyiv, which was finally agreed to at the end of January.

- ‘Alliance unity’ -

In an extraordinary admission of the friction between the two of the biggest armaments suppliers to Ukraine, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan told broadcaster ABC News on Sunday that Germany had said no Leopard tanks would be sent “until the president also agreed to send Abrams”.

Biden relented “in the interests of (NATO) alliance unity and to ensure that Ukraine got what it wanted”, Sullivan said. AFP