US and German Leaders Say Joint Response Ready if Russia Invades Ukraine (Update)

"All NATO Countries Ready"
"Nord Stream 2 Will Be Destroyed If Ukraine Is Invaded"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] On the 7th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held their first summit at the White House in Washington DC, discussing responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other current issues. In particular, President Biden emphasized that the controversial direct gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, 'Nord Stream 2,' would be completely scrapped if Russia invades Ukraine.

At a joint press conference immediately following the meeting, President Biden said, "I had a very productive meeting with Chancellor Scholz," adding, "The most important topic of today's meeting was our unified approach to deterring Russia's threat against Ukraine." He continued, "We agreed that maintaining a diplomatic solution is the best way to resolve the current situation," and explained, "We made it clear that we are prepared to continue dialogue with Russia."

President Biden stated, "However, if Russia further invades Ukraine, we and all NATO allies are ready to respond," emphasizing, "We discussed closely cooperating to impose swift and severe sanctions to ensure Russia pays a heavy price if it invades Ukraine."

Regarding Nord Stream 2, the direct gas pipeline between Germany and Russia that has been criticized for weakening NATO's response capabilities against Russia, he stressed, "If Russian tanks and troops cross the Ukrainian border, Nord Stream 2 will no longer exist," adding, "We will put an end to it."

Chancellor Scholz avoided directly answering questions about the possibility of scrapping Nord Stream 2 raised by President Biden, responding only, "We are absolutely united." He further emphasized, "There is no need to regain trust in the U.S.-Germany relationship. We fully trust the United States."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.