US President Biden in Germany for Talks on Ukraine and the Middle East
US President Joe Biden arrived in Berlin on Thursday for a short visit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the leaders of Germany, France and the UK.
The military conflict in the Middle East is also expected to be high on the agenda for talks between the leaders, as the Biden administration hopes that Israel's killing of Hamas spokesman Yahya Sinwar could bring an end to the war in Gaza.
Biden was originally scheduled to convene a larger gathering of Ukraine's military supporters at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany last week during a planned three-day state visit to the country, his first in 39 years.
He cancelled the trip to focus on Hurricane Milton, and is making up for it with a quick visit this week. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One of the meeting in Ramstein.
The president arrived late Thursday in Berlin and will hold bilateral talks Friday morning with the German president and chancellor before a scheduled meeting with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Biden has had a close working relationship with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the trip is partly seen as a reaffirmation of that partnership.
His trip comes after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Western capitals to present his ‘victory plan’ to end Russia's nearly 3-year-long invasion as Russian troops advance in the east and winter power cuts loom.
‘The situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, the trajectory of the war, how allies can best support Ukraine will be a topic of conversation,’ a senior US administration official said before the trip about meeting with European leaders.
‘Germany and the United States are Ukraine's biggest supporters in defending its sovereignty and integrity and its democracy. And we will continue to be so,’ Scholz told the German parliament on Wednesday.
‘But this is a time when, in addition to our clear support for Ukraine, we also have to do everything we can to find out how we can ensure that this war does not last forever, that it does not continue to kill an incredible number of people.’
Zelenskyy says his plan for victory, which would include an unconditional invitation to Ukraine to join NATO, is aimed at forcing Russia to negotiate in good faith.
A senior U.S. official said there had been discussion among NATO allies about offering Ukraine an invitation to join, but there was no consensus on an offer. He noted that in July the alliance confirmed that Ukraine was on an ‘irreversible path’ to membership. ‘The question is tactics...’ he said.
Biden's trip also comes amid fears of escalating hostilities in the Middle East into a full-scale conflict between Israel and Iran. This issue will also be discussed at the meeting, the US official said.
‘We will not accept Iran attacking Israel with missiles,’ Scholz said on Wednesday. ‘This must not happen. There should be no further destabilisation of the region. And Iran is playing with fire. This must stop.’