U.S. President Joe Biden will host a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel next Thursday to affirm “deep and enduring” ties between the NATO allies while also tackling some areas of disagreement.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the two leaders would discuss ransomware attacks that have hit companies in the United States and around the world, as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which Washington opposes.
Psaki said it would be an official working visit to shore up the partnership between the two countries and identifying ways to further strengthen cooperation.
Psaki said Biden continued to view the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a “bad deal,” but declined to say if an agreement could be reached to stave off resumption of temporarily suspended U.S. tariffs on Nord Stream 2 AG, the Germany company behind the pipeline, and its chief executive.
The U.S. State Department in May concluded that the company and CEO Matthias Warnig, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, engaged in sanctionable activity.
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately waived those sanctions, saying it was in the U.S. national interest.
Biden says he wants to improve ties with Germany, an ally he needs to help deal with broader issues including climate change, the economic recovery and relations with Iran and China.
It will be Merkel’s first visit to Washington since Biden took office in January. Merkel, now in her fourth term, has said she will step down after German national elections in September.
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