A heated argument between Austin and Scholz's adviser

A heated argument between Austin and Scholz’s adviser

Posted On: April 25, 2023

In Ramstein, during talks about tanks for Ukraine, a sharp altercation broke out between Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Wolfgang Schmidt, one of Chancellor Scholz’s closest advisers, German media reported on Sunday.

READ ALSO: Western Aid to Ukraine. Pentagon chief: “Poland is the leader”; “This is a crucial moment. We can’t slow down”

READ ALSO: Germany is Still Speeding! New head of the German Ministry of Defense: No decision has been made on the export authorization of the Leopard 2 tank yet

The meeting was tense

The portal wrote on Sunday about the open dispute between the US and Germany that emerged during the meeting in Ramstein, citing information from US government circles, which in turn sourced Austin’s internal reports about the talks in Germany.

According to this report, there were quite a few “sharp arguments” between Austin and Wolfgang Schmidt – one of Chancellor Scholz’s closest advisers, and the meeting between the two politicians was “tense”.

Austin stayed at the law firm longer than planned, and also pointed out that transporting and operating the Abrams (in Ukraine – PAP) would be too expensive and impractical.

Bild added.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s refusal to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine caused serious annoyance to the US government. Americans are deeply upset by the fact that the federal government is making its demands openly, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung portal stressed on Sunday.

As “Bild” reminded, Germany had previously announced that the condition for the possible delivery of the Leopard tanks was the transfer by the US of its own Abrams battle tanks.

Reportedly, Chancellor Olaf Scholz explained to US President Joe Biden: “Battle tanks are only together”

— added “Bild” and stressed that these discussions “overshadowed the Thursday and Friday (in Germany – PAP) visit of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and a meeting of the secretary of defense and senior military officials at the US military base at Ramstein in the Rhineland-Palatination.”

READ ALSO: German Minister Lies? “Spiegel”: “A list of various models of the Leopard is with the Ministry of Defense from early summer 2022”

A “sharp” phone call.

Additionally, the “Sueddeutsche Zeitung” also reported a “very sharp” telephone conversation between Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s security adviser, and Jens Ploetner, adviser to the German Chancellor.