German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has begun a two-day visit to Washington, D.C., for confidential talks with President Biden that are believed to be focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. German opposition leaders have accused Scholz of secrecy, after he scheduled no public appearances, no press conferences, and traveled without his usual contingent of journalists. The talks follow tensions over U.S. demands that Germany ship Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, which Germany agreed to in January. The U.S. is also pressuring Germany to speed up production of ammunition. Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Wagner Group said today mercenaries have almost completely surrounded the besieged city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.