United States President, Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday held talks on the Russian pipeline project and China.
Gatekeepers News reports that they vowed to stand together against aggression from Moscow and anti-democratic action from Beijing.
In what is likely to be Merkel’s last official visit to the White House before she retires from politics, Biden praised Merkel’s “exemplary life of groundbreaking service to Germany and … to the world”.
Even though transatlantic ties suffered under the tenure of former President Donald Trump, both Merkel and Biden were excited to show the relationship was on the mend during their time together.
“I value the friendship,” Merkel said in the Oval Office, mentioning America’s role in building a free and democratic Germany after World War II.
Gatekeepers News reports that Merkel is the first European leader to visit Biden at the White House since he was inaugurated into office in January.
However, despite their friendliness on Thursday, some differences were obvious.
Biden stressed his concerns about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany; the United States fears Moscow will use it as a cudgel against Ukraine. The $11 billion project, which is expected to be completed in September, will bypass Ukraine, potentially depriving it of transit fees.
The president reiterated that he decided against sanctioning the company behind the pipeline because the project was near completion, a decision that drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. But Biden said he and Merkel were united in their belief that Russia should not use energy as a geopolitical weapon.
“Good friends can disagree,” he said about the pipeline during a joint news conference.
“We stand together and will continue to stand together to defend our eastern-flank allies at NATO against Russian aggression.”
Merkel noted the differences of opinion but highlighted points of unity between the two countries.
“We all share the same values; we all share the same determination to tackle the challenges of our times,” she said.
Biden pledged to decide soon on whether to lift a pandemic-related ban on Europeans travelling to the U.S that has irked Germany and other allies.
Also, Washington and Berlin have different views on doing business with China, which Germany has wooed for trade.
“There is a lot of common understanding that China, in many areas, is our competitor; that trade with China needs to rest on the assumption that we have a level playing field,” Merkel said.
But both leaders said they would stand up for democratic principles and universal rights when they saw China or any other country working to undermine them.
“We are united, united in our commitment to addressing democratic backsliding, corruption, phony populism in the European Union or among candidates for the EU membership, or anywhere we find it in the world,” Biden said.
