[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The White House announced that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit the United States next month for a summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. It is expected that they will coordinate their views amid recent differences between Germany and the U.S. over sanctions and military responses to the Ukraine crisis.
On the 24th (local time), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated during a press briefing, "Next month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold a summit with President Biden," adding, "We welcome his visit. Germany is one of our closest allies." However, the exact date of Scholz's visit has not yet been determined.
Chancellor Scholz is expected to mainly discuss joint response strategies with President Biden regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The German government had previously shown differences in approach to U.S. sanctions against Russia, raising concerns about weakening cohesion within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Although President Biden and Chancellor Scholz have already agreed to cooperate on the Ukraine crisis, there is also a possibility of conflict between the two countries during this summit over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany. Germany, which relies heavily on natural gas for power generation, is reportedly concerned about a sharp rise in gas prices due to deteriorating relations with Russia.
Previously, President Biden pressured that the pipeline would be shut down if Russia attacked Ukraine, but Germany has taken a negative stance on this. Chancellor Scholz did not respond to questions about the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline during a press conference last month.
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