US aid ‘indispensable’ for defense of Ukraine, Scholz says

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he and U.S. President Joe Biden agree that Ukraine would not be able to defend itself from Russia without American aid.

The two leaders met in Washington on Friday as the Biden administration and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives remained at loggerheads over the president's $95.3 billion military aid package, $60 billion of which is allocated for Ukraine's war with Russia.

"Let's not beat around the bush: Support from the United States is indispensable for the question of whether Ukraine will be able to defend its own country," Scholz said after the meeting.

Citing the EU's decision to allocate more funding for Ukraine at the extraordinary European Council summit last week, the German chancellor urged the U.S. Congress to do its part to defend Ukraine by green-lighting the further aid proposed by Biden.

Scholz said congressional approval of the aid package would "send the right message to the Russian president that his hopes are in vain, that he simply has to wait long enough for the support of Ukraine's friends in Europe, North America and elsewhere to wane."

Asked about the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, and Israel's planned offensive in Rafah, the German leader said that the Israeli government needed to conduct military operations in a balanced manner.

"I have already said it very precisely: the type of warfare must meet the demands that Israel makes on itself, but which are also imposed by international law," Scholz said.