Lupul vine la Washington să se întâlnească cu leul muribund

By barzilaiendan on February 7, 2022 • ( 0 )

Willkommen Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden today, during his first visit to Washington, DC, since succeeding longtime head Angela Merkel in December.

The sit-down comes amid the looming possibility of a Russian-led invasion of Ukraine. Germany, a key member of the NATO alliance in Europe, has received criticism for remaining relatively muted as Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s eastern border.

While Ukraine is not a NATO member—a possibility Russia has strongly resisted—some analysts have pointed to Germany’s energy reliance on Russia as influencing decision-making. Germany gets between one-third and one-half of its natural gas supply from Russia.

US intelligence has said Russia is at 70% of the military buildup needed along the border to mount a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Scholz is scheduled to meet with Putin next Tuesday.