FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives a statement before a cabinet enclosure at the Chancellery to lay out and discuss Germany’s policy plans for its G7 presidency in Berlin, Germany, January 21, 2022. Michael Kappeler/Pool via REUTERS
January 21, 2022
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz turned down an invite at short notice from U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss the Ukraine crisis, German magazine Der Spiegel said on Friday.
Scholz did not accept the invitation due to a full schedule, including a trip to Madrid, as well as the desire to show that he was present as Germany grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Der Spiegel.
A government spokesman declined to comment on the report.
Both sides hoped now to organize a meeting by mid-February.
(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Editing by Miranda Murray)
