Russian gas blackmail: Biden reminds Germany of importance of supporting Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden during a meeting with Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, the candidate for the post of the German government chief, stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine.

That’s according to a readout of the two leaders’ talks, released by the White House press service, Ukrinform reports.

"President Biden underscored the importance of continued work to implement the U.S.-Germany Joint Statement on Support for Ukraine and European Energy Security, to ensure that Russia cannot manipulate natural gas flows for harmful political purposes," the statement said.

The U.S. president also congratulated Chancellor Merkel on over 16 years of leadership on important issues of international security and transatlantic relations.

Read also: Ukraine has “a number of steps” prepared in case Russia terminates gas shipments - Kuleba

In addition, the parties discussed the situation in Afghanistan, including joint efforts to ensure continued humanitarian assistance.

As Ukrinform reported, the heads of the 19 largest economies in the world and the EU are physically meeting in Rome, the capital of the group chairing Italy, for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The presidents of Russia and China do not take part in person, they join the discussions online.

Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

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