WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2022) US President Joe Biden in closed-door sessions offered unflattering assessments of European leadership including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin amid engagement with the leaders on the Russia-Ukraine situation, NBC said on Tuesday in a report, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
Biden described Putin as "a guy with nukes and no friends," and said Scholz is no Angela Merkel, seemingly indicating a preference for his predecessor, the report said. Biden also called UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's demeanor blustery and said that French President Emmanuel Macron wants to be Charles de Gaulle, according to the report.
Biden has underscored that he has found few familiar faces in Europe while he engages the continent on the situation involving Russia and Ukraine, the report said. Putin is the only world leader in the situation with whom he has a history, the report also said.
However, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne pushed back on the reports when asked about Biden's alleged comments, stating that "anonymous gossip" does not reflect what Biden says or thinks about his counterparts. Biden is pleased with the cooperation between the US and its European allies and partners, Horne added.
Biden on Monday met with Scholz at the White House to discuss an array of issues, namely the US and German responses to a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Although the two leaders expressed unity in their efforts, Scholz would not publicly commit to ending the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the event of an invasion as Biden did during a joint press event.
Russia has denied accusations that they intend to attack any country, including Ukraine, and vocally reserved their right to conduct troop movements on its own territory. Russia has also expressed its own concerns about NATO's eastward expansion and the threat it poses to Russian national security.
