Biden talks to German Scholz, Reuters talks about Russian construction near Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday to congratulate him on his appointment, and the two leaders discussed issues including efforts to counter Russia’s military force near Ukraine, the White House said.

“Today, I spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to congratulate him on his appointment,” Biden said in a Twitter (NYSE 🙂 message.

Biden “reaffirmed his desire to further strong US-German relations and further strengthen transatlantic cooperation,” the White House said.

He said the two leaders were “working to end the COVID-19 pandemic, address the threat of climate change and address the growing force that surrounds Russia in Ukraine.”

Scholz, a Social Democrat, became chancellor of Germany on Wednesday after ending her 16-year tenure as Conservative leader Angela Merkel and launching her three-party coalition, which is committed to promoting green investment and strengthening European integration.

Biden said he had made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a two-hour virtual meeting on Tuesday that the economic consequences would not be the same as if Russia had invaded Ukraine.

At the meeting, Putin called for assurances that NATO would not expand to the east.

Earlier on Friday, Scholz said he was “deeply concerned” by the deployment of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border and that “it is important for Europe to be firm in this area and to make it clear that Europe’s borders are intangible.”

Preparations for sanctions against the Russian economy were discussed in a call on Friday by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and German Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

Yellen said he was “interested in partnering with Germany in a rapidly expanding contingency to impose serious costs on Russia’s economy,” the U.S. Treasury Department said.