US President Joe Biden receives German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, in a meeting that enables the declaration of the unity of the two countries in a message addressed to both Russia and China, after a period of tension between the main supporters of Ukraine.

This is the German chancellor's second visit to Washington after a first visit in February 2022, and its aim is to "reaffirm the close ties of friendship" between the two countries, according to the White House.

According to a report by Agence France-Presse, this visit arouses Russia's ire, which warned, before the meeting, that sending new Western arms shipments to Ukraine would only "prolong" the conflict, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, Friday, "We note that the United States continues to Its policy aimed at increasing arms shipments to Ukraine.

The summit, scheduled for later on Friday, also takes on added significance given that it comes after a period of tension between Washington and Berlin over difficult negotiations for the delivery of tanks to Ukraine.

The visit program does not include a joint press conference, which raised questions in the German press, noting that Biden does not automatically hold press conferences when receiving foreign leaders.

Steven Hepstrit, spokesman for the German chancellor, responded to these questions, saying that this issue was the subject of "a lavish exaggeration in interpretation" and stressing that it was a "short working visit."

Good relationship despite ups and downs

The spokesman touched on what the summit will discuss, referring to the developments of the conflict in Ukraine and "how will the coming months be in Ukraine? And what is the impact of this on the support that the allies can provide" to this country.

Hebstreit also confirmed that relations between the United States and Germany, which rely on NATO and on US military protection, are "very good" despite some ups and downs since Biden came to power.

According to Agence France-Presse, since his arrival in the White House, the US president has publicly pressured Berlin to urge it to abandon the "Nord Stream 2" gas pipeline project that would have linked it to Moscow.

Today, the huge aid that the US administration intends to allocate to green industries under the draft “Inflation Reduction Act” is drawing criticism from Berlin and the Europeans in general.

The issue of delivering tanks to Ukraine has also been a source of tension.

And Germany finally agreed, on January 26, to send a number of its Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which gave a new dimension to the military support that this country receives in the face of the Russian invasion.

The United States also promised to send armored vehicles, which in recent days has sparked different interpretations.

Leopard and Abrams

And White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, Sunday, in a rare acknowledgment of the tension between the two countries, that Germany stressed that it would not send Leopard tanks "unless the President (Biden) also agreed to send Abrams tanks."

Sullivan told ABC that Biden "decided essentially not to send (armored vehicles) because his military told him they wouldn't be useful on the battlefield."

But in view of Germany's insistence, the US president changed his position and acted "for the sake of the unity of the (NATO) alliance and to ensure that Ukraine gets what it wants."

However, the German government gave a different interpretation, stressing that the talks sought to develop a "common approach" without pressure from Berlin on Washington.

On the other hand, the head of the Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, Jeffrey Rathke, said that the meeting "will allow determining the path to be followed in order to complete the implementation of the tank delivery process, an area that still needs more diplomatic and industrial efforts."

Jorn Flick of the Atlantic Council for Studies commented that "what will not change after this meeting is that, in the eyes of the White House, most of the roads leading to Europe pass through Berlin. And that for Schultz, all roads to support Ukraine pass through Washington."

China hub

China is another focus of the meeting, as Washington would like Germany, the major economic power that has trade relations with China, to adopt a more assertive stance towards it.

According to Agence France-Presse, there are many contentious issues between Washington and Beijing, the latest of which is the issue of the Chinese balloon that was shot down over American territory and the restrictions imposed on the use of the "Tik Tok" application.

The United States also announced that China is studying the possibility of handing over weapons to Russia to help it in its attack on Ukraine, concerns that Schultz also expressed, declaring Thursday in the German House of Representatives, "Do not supply weapons to the Russian aggressor," while Beijing denies this.

Rathke said the meeting between Biden and Schultz would provide "a valuable opportunity to send a clear and convincing signal to China."