US President Joe Biden is hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks on Friday, at a time of concern in Europe about the White House's ability to break the deadlock in Congress that is blocking new aid to Ukraine, UNN reports citing AP.
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"Scholz arrived in Washington ready to reinforce the message that Biden himself has been making for months: a Russian victory in Ukraine would endanger the West and its allies. He also wants to emphasize that Germany continues to provide reliable funding to Ukraine, despite budgetary constraints," the publication says.
Scholz is quoted as emphasizing the importance of the debate for Europe and beyond, as House Republicans have blocked new U.S. funding.
On the eve of the meeting at the White House, Scholz said that withdrawing support for Kyiv would have consequences beyond Ukraine and could prove costly for Western governments in the long run.
"Other countries around the world are watching closely to see if these differences can be exploited and if disinformation campaigns can succeed," Scholz wrote in a Wall Street Journal article published Thursday. - "We must prove them wrong by convincing citizens on both sides of the Atlantic that a Russian victory would make the world a much more dangerous place. It will also put a strain on our budgets and jeopardize the freedom and prosperity of all of us.
Republicans this week blocked a $118 bipartisan border package that was tied to funding for Ukraine and aid to Israel. The Senate on Thursday voted to begin work on a narrower package that would include approximately $60 billion for Ukraine and $35 billion for Israel, but doubts remain as to whether it can gain enough Republican support to pass, the newspaper notes.
German officials said Scholz intended to use his time in Washington, D.C., in part to draw attention to what the 27-member European Union has recently done to help Ukraine, including paving the way for Ukraine's EU membership talks, and emphasized that Germany plans to spend more than 7 billion euros ($7.5 billion) on arms supplies despite a domestic budget crisis.
Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, said that Scholz will be waiting to hear from Biden about his "plan B" if Congress continues to dispute over Ukraine funding.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Biden will make it clear to Scholz that despite the "dysfunction" in the House of Representatives over Ukraine funding, there is broad bipartisan support for continued support for Kyiv.
"U.S. officials are also concerned that the funding impasse is shaping Moscow's strategy, noting a surge in strikes on Ukraine's defense industry," the newspaper writes.
"The president believes that supporting Ukraine is crucial, especially as Russia continues to try to strike at their defense industrial base," Kirby said.
Scholz recently called on other European countries to step up arms supplies to Ukraine, saying that "it cannot depend on Germany alone.
Berlin is making "a very big contribution, but it will not be enough if sufficient support does not appear everywhere," Scholz said before leaving Germany for Washington on Thursday. - "Now is the moment for us to do what is necessary - to give Ukraine the opportunity to defend itself and at the same time send a very clear message to the Russian president: a message that he cannot expect our support to weaken.
The White House said that Biden and Scholz are also expected to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas and the July NATO summit that the United States will host in Washington.