By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on March 3, his first visit to the White House since just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday.
“The Chancellor’s visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the deep bonds of friendship between the United States and our NATO ally Germany,” Jean-Pierre said.
Meeting just after the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Biden and Scholz will discuss ongoing efforts to support Ukraine, impose costs on Russia through sanctions and export controls, and strengthen transatlantic security, she said.
The two will also discuss continued cooperation on a range of regional and global security issues, including working together on shared challenges posed by China and our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Jean-Pierre said.
Scholz is due to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris at the Munich Security Conference this week.
Scholz and Biden are also expected to touch on an ongoing dispute between Germany and other European countries with the United States over billions of dollars in green tax credits that are part of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act passed last year.
Trade issues are ultimately handled by Brussels for European Union members, and a working group with officials from both sides is continuing to meet regularly on the issue.
Scholz last week said he wanted to further deepen economic relations with the U.S., but said Washington should renounce rules that put European companies at a disadvantage compared to companies from Canada and Mexico, for example.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
