When Scholz was repeatedly pressed on whether he was committing to halting the pipeline if President Vladimir Putin’s troops moved forward, he kept his answer vague.
“We will act together,” Scholz said, echoing Biden’s message on unity. “We will not be taking different steps. And they will be very, very hard to Russia.”
The German leader, who took over from Angela Merkel last December, has been more reluctant than some other Western allies when it comes to the scope of sanctions Russia would be hit with if Putin moves forward with an invasion, including a commitment to shutting down the pipeline. Germany has also refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine — sounding the alarm for critics who have accused Berlin of not playing an active enough role in supporting Kyiv and deterring Moscow from attacking its neighbor.
Nord Stream 2 has been a headache for Biden — just as it has been for past U.S. presidents — as Washington fears the pipeline will increase Europe’s dependency on Russia, already the source of most of the natural gas fueling Europe.
But regardless of the rising pressure from its allies, it appears Berlin is sticking to its murky messaging on its Nord Stream 2. Scholz didn’t budge in an interview with CNN on Monday afternoon, repeating again that Germany and its allies would act “together” in responding to Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called off a planned meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday because Berlin’s position on the pipeline hasn’t changed, a source familiar with the matter told TheTeCHyWorLD. Ukraine has expressed concerns about energy security, and worries that the pipeline, which bypasses the country, could lead to less revenue for its struggling economy.
“What we do today is giving this very strong answer to Russia, saying if you invade Ukraine, this will have a very high price for you which will have high impact on your economy and the chances for your development,” Scholz said on CNN, when Jake Tapper asked why he would not explicitly say they would cancel the pipeline. “And we are ready to take steps that will have costs for us.”
During the joint news conference, Biden said the two leaders agreed on a “strong package of sanctions,” though provided little detail on what those might be.
Both Scholz and Biden addressed Russia’s looming threat to Ukraine during Monday’s press conference, with Biden ultimately telling Americans it would be “wise” to leave Ukraine. Scholz’s visit comes as Biden administration officials warn that Russia has assembled 70 percent of the troops needed to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and as Biden works to present a united NATO response to the crisis.
“I think it would be wise to leave the country. I don’t mean — not talking about our diplomatic corps. I’m talking about Americans who are there,” Biden said. “I hate to see them get caught in a crossfire if in fact they did invade.”
And Scholz, who hasn’t been as vocal about the increasing threat, offered a clear answer on his level of concern.
“It is clear that there is a military threat to Ukraine,” the chancellor said. “This cannot be kept silent and it is obvious. We see how many Russian troops are deployed along the Ukrainian border, and this is a serious threat to security in Europe.”
In a leaked diplomatic cable last week, the German ambassador in Washington warned that a growing number of politicians in Washington have branded Germany as an “unreliable partner.” Scholz defended himself ahead of Monday’s meeting in an interview with The Washington Post published on Sunday.
The German leader said his country was working with its NATO allies, the European Union and the U.S. on a response to Russia. “Our strict response is saying it will have very high prices if they intervene and that we work very hard to get a way out of this situation,” Scholz said.
Biden jumped to Scholz’s defense during Monday’s news conference, answering a question directed at the German chancellor. A reporter called out Scholz’s reluctance to spell out his plans for Nord Stream 2, noting that transparency might “win back trust” as a strong ally to the U.S.
“There is no need to win back trust. He has the complete trust of the United States,” Biden said. “Germany is one of our most important allies in the world. There is no doubt about Germany’s partnership with the United States. None. With regard to helping Ukraine, one of the largest contributors financially to Ukraine has been Germany. Germany has been in the forefront of making sure, providing economic assistance. But in terms of the U.S. media saying Germany is not reliable, Germany is completely reliable.”
The two leaders also discussed Germany’s G-7 presidency, the global Covid response and health security, climate change and global economic recovery, and also agreed to cooperate on China and the promotion of stability in the Western Balkans, a White House readout of the meeting said.
The German chancellor is scheduled to visit Ukraine next week before he makes the trip to Moscow for a meeting with Putin. Scholz told the Post that during his meeting in Moscow, he would warn Putin that Russia would pay “a very high price” if he moved troops into Ukraine.
Hans von der Burchard and Alex Ward contributed to this report.