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US President Joe Biden and new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine during a meeting expected next month (February 7) in Washington, the White House announced on Thursday.
The face-to-face meeting will be the first since Scholz took over his country in December last year.
Tensions have risen between Russia and the United States and its allies as the West expresses concern over the gathering of some 100,000 Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, which is also seen as Russia’s attempt to invade its neighbor.
Moscow has consistently denied such a thing.
Germany’s refusal to join the US and other NATO members in supplying arms to Ukraine has upset some allies and raised questions about Berlin’s determination to oppose Russia.
Germany’s own militarization of Europe during the two World Wars has led German leaders over the years to see any military response as a last resort.
The White House announced the visit a day after the US rejected Russia’s key demands for resolving the long-running crisis over Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Thursday that the US rejection “leaves little room for optimism.”
Biden and Scholz will also discuss co-operation on the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and economic and security issues, the White House said.
Scholz became Germany’s ninth chancellor after World War II in December, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy following Angela Merkel’s 16-year term./REL
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