Biden and Germany’s Scholz Vow to Support Ukraine ‘As Long as It Takes’

President Joe Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Oval Office of the White House on March 3, 2023 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. President Joe Biden is meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the war in Ukraine and the challenges posed by China’s communist regime.

Scholz met Biden in the Oval Office for an extended one-on-one discussion about Russia’s attempted conquest in Ukraine, during which both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supplying military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

“It is really important that we act together, that we organize in lockstep, and that we make it feasible that we can give the necessary support to Ukraine during all this time,” Scholz said.

“At this time, I think it’s very important that we give the message that we will continue to do so as long as it takes … and that we are ready also to stay with the Ukrainians as long as it is necessary.”

Scholz said that U.S.-German relations were in “very good shape,” and that the two nations were prepared to follow through on their commitments to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression.

Biden also described the U.S.-German partnership to support Ukraine as working in “lockstep,” and said that the nations had followed through on their vow to impose costs on Moscow for its hostilities.

“We made it clear that if [Russia] moved, we would both respond,” Biden said to Scholz. “And together we made good on that promise.”

Working ‘Hand in Hand’ to Aid Ukraine

Shortly before the meeting took place, the United States announced a 33rd Presidential Drawdown of security assistance for Ukraine, which has relied heavily on international aid to maintain its defense against Russia.

The new package will provide Ukraine with $400 million worth of artillery systems and munitions, as well as spare parts for the maintenance of damaged equipment, and bring the total amount of U.S. military aid to Ukraine to more than $30 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion last year.

“The United States is just one nation supporting Ukraine’s right to sovereignty,” A Department of Defense (DOD) statement said.

“According to DOD figures, more than 54 countries from around the world have pledged more than 1,000 tanks and other armored vehicles. They’ve delivered or pledged more than 800 artillery systems, and they’ve delivered more than 2 million rounds of artillery ammunition and more than 50 advanced Multiple Rocket Launch Systems.”

White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that other efforts to deliver military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine relied upon the vital partnership between the United States and Germany.

Scholz’s visit, Kirby said, was bound to bring that close relationship even closer.

“The visit comes as we mark one year since that invasion started, and we’re proud of the collective efforts that we’ve taken together to provide Ukraine with the capabilities they need,” Kirby said during a March 2 press briefing.

“We’ve worked hand in hand with Germany and the Quad, the G7, and allies and partners all over the world, including through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, to do exactly that.”

Kirby said that Biden and Scholz would likely use their time in private discussion to exchange views on the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, as well as other global issues like the challenges posed by communist China.

China Casts Shadow with Possible Russia Support

Scholz’s visit comes at a tense time in international relations, as the Biden administration has expressed increasing concern that China’s communist regime could supply lethal military aid to Russia for its war of conquest.

Kirby noted that Scholz and Biden may discuss the issue in private but underscored that the United States had not seen concrete evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has supplied such aid to Russia.

“We haven’t seen the Chinese make this decision,” Kirby said. “We don’t think they’ve taken it off the table, but we haven’t seen them make a decision to go forward.”

Despite U.S. reluctance to formally accuse the CCP of providing Russia with arms, various reports have alleged that Beijing is already doing so.

A Feb. 23 report by Der Spiegel claimed that the regime transferred military aviation equipment to Russia by disguising it as civilian technology. Likewise, the report claimed, the regime used intermediaries in the UAE to deliver dual-use drones to Russia for its war.

Relatedly, the CCP has held high-level talks with key Russia ally Belarus and issued a so-called “peace plan,” which largely regurgitates Russian propaganda claiming the United States and NATO are at fault for the war.

On the issue of lethal aid, a Reuters report citing anonymous government officials claimed that the United States was currently holding backroom discussions with its allies to prepare a suite of sanctions against China should evidence emerge of its malign behavior.

“It obviously is very much a situation that we’re tracking,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters before Biden and Scholz’s meeting.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine has put China in a difficult position, and every step that China takes toward Russia makes it harder for China.”

The official also said that the United States was “aligned with the German view” and that both nations were ultimately willing to sanction any country that delivered lethal aid to Russia.

The official would neither confirm nor deny the report that such sanctions were already in the works, but said that the United States and Germany had made their opinions known to the CCP.

“We have been clear with China from the beginning about our concerns and the implications of providing this kind of support to Russia,” the official said.

“Chancellor Scholz spoke to his parliament earlier today and similarly said publicly that he was very much cautioning against Chinese support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and calling on Beijing to use its influence with the Kremlin to encourage Moscow to withdraw from Ukrainian territory.”