Germany's leader is flying to DC to show Biden he's committed to stopping a Russian invasion of Ukraine after weeks of being mocked for inaction

• Germany declined to send military aid to Ukraine last month, as Russia amasses its forces.
• Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been mocked for not standing up to Russia and Putin.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz is to meet President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday, after weeks of being mocked for shying away from condemning Russian aggression toward Ukraine.

Biden and Scholz will "talk significantly about the situation" and their commitment to "ensure deterrence to further Russian aggression," a senior White House official said Sunday.

In recent months, the US and a number of its European allies have banded together to oppose Russia's buildup of troops on Ukraine's border.

However, Germany, one of Europe's most important military nations, has been criticized for not standing up in kind. Scholz, who became chancellor in December, has been mocked for failing his first challenge as leader.

On January 28, the German magazine Der Spiegel published a leaked memo from Emily Haber, Germany's ambassador to the US, in which she told her colleagues in Berlin that the US was seeing Germany as an increasingly weak ally. "Berlin, we have a problem," the message began, according to Der Spiegel.

A headline on a story about Ukraine in the magazine published several days later read: "Where is Olaf Scholz?"

On Monday, Andrij Melnyk, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, told CNBC that Germany needs to "wake up" about the threat posed by Russia.

Germany was also criticized for not providing Ukraine with any military aid, as the US and UK have done. Germany said it would instead provide financial assistance. That move prompted Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to tweet that Germany was effectively "encouraging" Russia to invade.

Shortly after, Germany said it had offered 5,000 helmets to Ukraine.

"What kind of support will Germany send next? Pillows?" Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, told BILD.

Germany wants Biden to know it is not scared of Putin

Following the criticism, Scholz has sought to clear the record about Germany's intentions.

On Sunday, Scholz told The Washington Post that Germany would take "all necessary steps" if Russia invades Ukraine. On Wednesday, he also defended Germany in an interview with ZDF. "Germany is the country that has given the biggest aid to Ukraine in the last years, almost €2 billion ($2.28 billion)," he said.

"Our allies know exactly what they have in us."

The same day, Germany defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Germany isn't ruling out sending troops to Lithuania.

The US, UK, and EU have also discussed plans for strict sanctions on Russian entities — and even President Vladimir Putin personally — should Russia invade.

Scholz and Biden will discuss potential sanctions on Russia during their meeting Monday, the senior White House official told reporters. "They will discuss our ongoing efforts to prepare a robust sanctions package that would impose severe costs if Russia further invades Ukraine," the official said.

In late January, UK prime minister Boris Johnson appeared to suggest that Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas, was trying not to anger Russia, as it was worried about the effect of sanctions should Moscow invade Ukraine. The same month, Republican Party Sen. Tom Cotton said Germany had abandoned Ukraine in favor of its Nord Stream II deal with Russia. The in-development gas pipeline between Russia and Germany bypasses Ukraine, meaning the country would lose out on billions of dollars in transit fees.