White House congratulates Germany's new chancellor

The White House on Wednesday congratulated Germany's new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and thanked outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel for "her many years of leadership."

Center-left leader Scholz became Germany's ninth post-World War II chancellor Wednesday, opening a new era for the European Union's most populous nation and largest economy after Merkel's 16-year tenure.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden traveled to Kansas City, Missori, deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden looks forward to speaking to Scholz and to "building on the strong ties between our two nations and working closely together to make progress on today's global challenges."

But she said she didn't have any specific call to preview yet.

Jean-Pierre wouldn't expand on what further actions the U.S. might take against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would carry Russian gas to Germany, should Russia decide to invade Ukraine.

The deputy press secretary only underscored the "clear commitment our countries made in the joint statement to take action if Russia attempts to use energy as a weapon or commit further aggressive acts against Ukraine."

On Monday, the State Department announced sanctions on what it said was a business with Russian links involved in the Nordstream 2 project.

IMAGE: AP