Kirby initially did not provide any further details. However, he emphasized that further aid for Ukraine would certainly be a topic of talks between US President Joe Biden and Scholz.

The Chancellor will be received by Biden in the White House on Friday. According to a US government official, the conversation will last about an hour. The central topic will be the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and further support for Kiev.

Scholz and Biden could also talk about China's growing importance in the Ukraine war. The United States has recently repeatedly warned that the government in Beijing is considering possible arms deliveries to Russia.

"So far we have not seen China provide lethal aid to Russia," the US official said on Thursday. "But of course this is a situation that we are monitoring." When asked whether the US and its allies were preparing possible sanctions against China in the event of arms deliveries to Russia, the government representative simply replied that the G7 states, among others, had made it clear that sanctions against third countries that support Russia were possible.

In his government statement to the Bundestag on Thursday, Scholz called on China not to supply weapons "to the aggressor Russia". "My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops."

With a view to his visit to Washington, Scholz said that the "close coordination" with the USA should be continued at the meeting with Biden. The transatlantic partnership is "closer and more trusting than ever".

However, there had also been differences of opinion between Berlin and Washington when it came to supporting Ukraine. In January, for example, tensions arose between the two governments over the question of supplying western main battle tanks.

Scholz completed his inaugural visit as Chancellor in Washington in February 2022 and is now being received in the White House for the second time.