On Friday, President Biden hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House, as the two leaders attempted to forge a united front in support of Ukraine as it enters a second year of war against invading Russian forces.
Schulz last visited the White House in February 2022, when Russia was massing forces along the Ukrainian border. Friday’s visit came a year into the war, as the two leaders sought to reassure Ukrainians and other allies that their governments would support Ukraine for as long as it took to end the conflict.
“I want to thank you, Olaf, for your strong, steadfast leadership. And I mean it sincerely. You made a huge difference,” Biden said during a meeting in the Oval Office. For the Ukrainians it was deep, deep.”
Scholz added that it was important for Germany and the United States to help Ukraine “and to give a message that we will continue to do so as long as it takes.”
That message echoed what Biden has said repeatedly over the past year, including during a trip to Kiev last month to commemorate the Russian invasion.
The two leaders did not respond to questions from reporters in the Oval Office, and were not scheduled to hold a joint news conference that usually accompanies a foreign leader’s visits to the White House.
But continued support for Ukraine will likely be high on the agenda for Biden and Schultz. The United States and Germany, along with other G-7 allies, have tried over the past year to coordinate on sanctions against Russia to squeeze Moscow’s war effort, as well as military and economic aid to Ukraine.
Biden and Schulz weren’t initially on the same page earlier this year about sending tanks to Ukraine, with Germany reluctant to use Leopard tanks unless the US agreed to send Abrams tanks. Both countries eventually reached an agreement to provide armored vehicles to Ukraine.
With the war entering its second year, maintaining support will be a major test for both leaders, and the United States has warned that China is considering offering support to Russia in its war effort, though it has yet to do so.
Polls have shown declining support among Americans for additional aid to Ukraine, and American officials have turned to the Ukrainians to determine what terms they would accept to end the war.
Fifty percent of respondents to a Fox News poll in late February said America should continue to support Ukraine until the end of the war, while another 46 percent said there should be a “limited time frame” for American support.
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