At times during their brief but eventful alliance, Mr. Biden has appeared to want Scholz and other Western leaders to take the lead publicly on decisions related to sanctions on Russia or support for Ukraine. , a strategy designed to reinforce the idea that Europe is acting in concert with — rather than at the direction of — the United States.
At other times, no leader wants to take the first step. In January, Mr. Biden and Mr. Scholz announced that it will deliver battle tanks to Ukraine, ending weeks of tension with Germany, which has delayed a deal to send Leopard 2 tanks unless Washington agrees to the powerful M1 Abrams model.
“These tanks are further proof of our unwavering, long-term commitment to Ukraine and our confidence in the skills of Ukrainian forces,” Biden said in the statement. “. The the president denied that he was pressured by one of his closest allies to supply tanks, although Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser, suggested in a recent interview that the president made the move to encourage the Germans to release Leopards.
For his part, Mr. Scholz emphasized that the US and Germany need to work closely together.
Mr. Scholz told lawmakers in Congress in January: “We’re talking about very effective weapons systems here, and it’s right that we never provide those weapons systems for free. always cooperate closely”.
But it will take several months to build about 30 Abrams tanks, and Germany has struggled to fulfill its promise to send about 62 cars to Ukraine. While Mr. Biden continues to try to rally support to support Ukraine amid boos from Republicans, Mr. Scholtz is facing his own domestic set of obstacles as he tries to do so. tank promise amid anti-war protests in Berlin.
“I think most of the Germans are on his side, but they balked at the F-16, and they balked at what they thought Putin would cross the red line,” Mr. Janes said. speak. “He’s got to get over those hurdles, so he’s going to come back and maybe do that by meeting face-to-face, right across from Biden. Then he can say authoritatively, ‘We have support here.’”
