Without outbursts from journalists, without official dinners and without many guests, the German Chancellor, Olaf Soltzarrived in the United States yesterday to meet with President Biden in connection with the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and due to the fact that the war is not going to end anytime soon.

Many in Germany they are perplexed about this visit, for which the Chancellor’s press service issued only one phrase: “Chancellor Soltz will visit the United States to discuss with Joe Biden the situation in Ukraine a year after the invasion and support for the West in Kiev” (the meeting with the speech of the American president was scheduled yesterday late evening Greek time). Friedrich Merz, leader of the largest opposition party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), asked Scholz in Parliament the day before he left: “Why are you going to Washington? What is the purpose of your visit? You should have explained it all to us here.”

The somewhat secretive nature of the visit – Scholz did not even lay out his agenda before the German parliament, and it was announced that there would be no press conference after it – led many in Europe to think that the two leaders felt the need to chart a new plan. of course, to continue the war in Ukraine, since the question “how will this all end?” is getting louder in Europe as well as in the USA.

On the other hand, those close to Scholz attribute the sobriety of the visit to the fact that the chancellor wants to “dedicate himself to his work” and deny that clouds of unrest cloud the meeting between the two leaders. “The idea is to have a working meeting. This is not a state visit. The point is for two men to sit down at a table, show their cards, weigh their options, exchange opinions freely without being forced to make a decision quickly.”

The situation in Ukraine was the focus of the chancellor under Joe Biden.

Reactions

The German chancellor recently publicly stated that he would support Kyiv “for as long as necessary.” However, with the passage of time, the voices of those who say that their countries cannot endure war for long are heard more and more often. Recently in Germany, a demonstration against the military support of Ukraine gathered 13,000 people, and in the United States, in connection with the upcoming elections next year, the voices of Republicans who are afraid to send military equipment to the front are becoming louder.

Other topics

The two leaders are also likely to discuss Israel’s new far-right government, growing allegations that Iran is engaged in massive uranium enrichment, and signs that China may be sending military equipment to Russia. However, Niels Schmitt, spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, describes Scholz’s relationship with Biden as “good.” “They have the same views on foreign policy and I think they really enjoy sitting and talking together,” he comments.