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US President Joe Biden and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Image Credit: New York Times

Washington: The United States and Germany will stand together to defend NATO’s eastern nations against Russian aggression and agree that Moscow must not be allowed to use energy to bully its neighbours, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

“We stand together, and will continue to stand together, to defend our eastern flank allies at NATO against Russian aggression,” Biden told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“And while I reiterated my concerns about Nord Stream 2, Chancellor Merkel and I are absolutely united in our conviction that Russia must not be allowed to use energy as a weapon to coerce or threaten its neighbours.”