United States President Joe Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on Monday to discuss the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline and Russia's aggression on Ukraine.
The two leaders also share a commitment in their ongoing diplomatic efforts to urge Moscow to de-escalate tensions and hold off on an incursion of Ukraine. The event marks Scholz's first trip to the White House since being sworn in as chancellor; it is also a trip that Biden is "very much looking forward to."
Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
One senior Biden administration official said that the U.S. president initially met and interacted with the German Chancellor in October. At the time, they said it was clear that the official would be succeeding then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. The official added that Biden was looking forward to getting to know Scholz personally when he visits Washington.
The senior official said that Scholz's visit greatly highlights the continued importance of the U.S. having a bilateral relationship with Germany. They added that the two leaders would discuss their hope for a diplomatic resolution to the Russia-Ukraine controversy, as per Fox News.
Biden and Scholz will reportedly consider "robust sanctions" against Russia if President Vladimir Putin continues with his attack on Ukraine. In a statement, the official said that the Biden administration has been closely coordinating with the German government over the past few weeks.
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One of the sanctions that the U.S. could impose is stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is a multibillion-dollar project that runs from Russia to Germany. While the project is not yet operational, it has surfaced as a key issue amid the standoff.
NPR reported that this is because Russia is one of the largest producers of natural gas worldwide and Germany is one of the largest importers of that specific product. Biden said that, if Moscow decides to invade Ukraine, he would put a stop to the gas pipeline.
Sanctions Against Russia
During the event on Monday, Biden, who has avoided publicly criticizing Scholz, said that the German nation wanted a "strong package" of sanctions against Russia. However, the Democratic leader did not detail what those consequences include.
In his definition of an invasion, Biden said that Russia would be punished if it sent troops and tanks over to its smaller neighbor. However, some of the U.S. president's aides argued that Putin can also invade Ukraine by inciting a coup or launching crippling cyberattacks.
When asked about the process of shutting down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Biden did not detail exactly how his administration planned to impose the sanction. On the other hand, Scholz has been vague about whether or not he was agreeing to the termination of the pipeline project that could benefit his country.
On Monday, however, the German Chancellor reiterated his stance and said that "we are absolutely united." The new leader of Germany has had a difficult start after succeeding Merkel in trying to live up to her legacy and cooperating with foreign governments, the New York Times reported.
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