Scholz Reportedly Declined to Discuss Sanctions With Biden

Aside from the refusal to sell arms to Ukraine, Germany may also disagree on sanctions against Russia. A week ago, Christian Democratic Bundestag leader Friederich Merz strongly opposed the so-called “nuclear option” of financial sanctions including cutting Russian banks off from the SWIFT interbank transfer system, saying that such a move would be catastrophic for the German, and, indeed, the European economy. Now on Jan. 23, the “Channel 112” cited Der Spiegel reporting late on Jan. 22 that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz turned down an invitation from the White House to fly to Washington to meet with Biden. (https://112.international/politics/german-chancellor-refuses-to-discuss-sanctions-against-russia-with-biden-media-68860.html) Scholz told Biden he had other obligations when the White House invited him to discuss the Ukraine crisis, according to the report. Biden tried to allay Berlin’s concerns about how far it could go to counter a possible Russian attack. And then the White House sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Berlin to tell Scholz that he should support serious sanctions if he continues to block arms supplies to Ukraine, Der Spiegel wrote. (https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-war-of-nerves-germany-has-little-maneuvering-room-in-ukraine-conflict-a-faece2a7-c098-48cb-a9cc-cd0d5daf78f1)