Washington, 10 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) — US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned against any relaxing of Western support for Ukraine during the German leader's visit to the White House on Friday.

Scholz said that if the US Congress did not manage to vote in favour of further funding for Kiev, the ability of the Ukrainian armed forces to defend their own country against the Russian invasion would be threatened.

Support from the United States was "essential," Scholz said.

"We are both convinced that this must happen, but also confident that the US Congress will in the end come to a decision [to provide aid]," he said after the talks with Biden, which lasted about one hour and 45 minutes.

Biden, who has been trying for months to get billions in new aid through parliament, has warned that a failure by Congress to approve it would be "close to criminal neglect."

Ahead of the meeting, Scholz said the funding was crucial also to send a clear message to the Russian President Vladimir Putin about solid Western support. He condemned "lies" that Putin had told about the war.

Biden for his part praised Germany for its support for Ukraine: "You've done something no one thought could get done: You've doubled Germany’s military aid to Ukraine this year. And it's really important."

"We got to step up and do our part now," Biden said ahead of the talks.

The meeting between Scholz and Biden was the centrepiece of a short 24-hour visit by Scholz to the US capital, his third such trip since Scholz became chancellor in 2021.

Republicans in the US Congress have so far blocked further aid packages for Ukraine, while Scholz has struggled to cajole fellow European leaders into substantially increasing funding and weapons shipments for Ukraine's military.

Scholz's lobbying efforts have focused in particular on several large, wealthy European countries such as France, Spain and Italy.

On Thursday night, Scholz dined at the German ambassador's residence with US senators, including members of Donald Trump's Republican Party. The main topic here too was aid to Ukraine.

Trump, who will likely be the Republican nominee to challenge Biden in the November elections, has criticized further aid for Ukraine.

Scholz and Biden also discussed the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, and the war in the Middle East.

Scholz insisted that any Israeli actions in Gaza must be in accordance with international law.

According to a White House statement, the leaders discussed efforts to prevent regional escalation and underscored the imperative to protect civilians in Gaza.