US President Joe Biden and outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel have vowed to work together to defend against Russian aggression and to stand together against China’s undemocratic actions, Reuters reported.
Biden said he had reiterated his concerns about the Nord Stream pipeline, 2 which is being built from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, but he and Merkel are united in their belief that Russia should not use gas as a weapon.
“We stand by each other and will continue to be united to protect our allies on NATO’s eastern flank from Russian aggression,” Biden told a joint news conference with Merkel.
He said both sides are ready to stand up and defend democratic principles when China or another country tries to undermine a free and open society.
The United States and Germany are key allies in NATO, but their relationship suffered under former US President Donald Trump, Reuters notes. Biden and Merkel have known each other and worked together for years. Both promised to strengthen ties between the two countries in the future.
Washington fears that the Nord Stream pipeline 2 will harm Ukraine and increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. The United States wants to find a way to ensure that Russia cannot use the pipeline to harm Ukraine or other allies in Eastern Europe.
The $ 11 billion project, which is expected to be completed in September, will bypass US ally Ukraine, potentially depriving it of transit fees.
Merkel acknowledged that there were disagreements between Berlin and Washington over Nord Stream 2, but stressed that the pipeline should complement gas transit through Ukraine, not replace it. She added that the European Union has many tools to react in case of suspension of the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, TASS reports.
Germany and the United States also disagree on how reasonable a partnership with China on business projects is. Biden said the situation in Hong Kong was deteriorating and that the Chinese government was not keeping its promises to the region.
Regarding the situation in Cuba, the American president said that there are a number of issues that the United States would consider to help the people of Cuba if there are guarantees that the government will not take advantage of this. He added that the United States is examining whether it has the technological capacity to resume Internet access in Cuba.
After a three-day break due to historic protests in Cuba on Sunday, the country’s mobile internet was restored on Wednesday, but there is no access to social networks and chat applications.
Touching on the restrictions imposed by the United States on travelers from Europe because of the pandemic, Biden said the issue of removing them “is in the process of being resolved.” He added that he would probably be able to answer “what will happen in the next few days”. “I’m waiting to hear from our covid teams when this can be done.”
The restrictions were introduced in March 2020 during the term of former President Donald Trump, reminds TASS.
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