The White House said on Friday that US President Joe Biden will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel next Thursday (July 15) to affirm the “deep and lasting” relationship between NATO allies and resolve some areas of disagreement. .
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the two leaders will discuss ransomware attacks that attack companies in the United States and around the world, as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that Washington is opposed to, despite its pragmatic decision not to aggravate relations with Berlin. .
Psaki said that this will be an “official working visit” aimed at strengthening the partnership between the two countries and identifying ways to further strengthen cooperation.
This will be Merkel’s first visit to Washington since Biden took office in January. Merkel is now in her fourth term, and she said she will step down after the German national election in September.
Psaki said that Biden continues to view the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a “bad deal”, but declined to say whether an agreement can be reached to avoid the United States’ suspension of the tariff pipeline on Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO.
The US State Department concluded in May that the company and CEO Matthias Vonige (an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin) engaged in sanctioned activities. But Secretary of State Anthony Brinken immediately waived these sanctions, saying it was in the national interest of the United States.
Biden has said that he wants to improve relations with Germany and that he needs an ally to help deal with a wider range of issues, including climate change, economic recovery, and relations with Iran and China.
German officials said they hope to resolve this issue before August, and the Biden-Merkel meeting can provide an important impetus for reaching an agreement.
Berlin and Washington are also at odds because members of the World Trade Organization are considering temporarily waiving their intellectual property rights to help end the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington supports the exemption, but Germany opposes it.
When asked if Biden would try to persuade Merkel to support the patent exemption, Psaki stated that the president is a “strong supporter” of such actions, but this is just one of several tools that can be used to increase the global COVID-19 vaccination rate. One.
Amnesty International, Public Citizens, Flight Attendants Association-CWA and other groups urged Biden in a letter on Friday to press Merkel to support the exemption.
They wrote in the letter: “The Merkel summit cannot be considered a success unless it includes the support of agreeing to Germany to join you, supporting the exemption and giving priority to ending the pandemic as soon as possible,” they wrote in the letter, and Reuters saw this. Letter.
Psaki said that after Biden pressured Putin to crack down on cybercriminals operating outside Russia, the two leaders will also discuss the issue of ransomware cyber attacks.
