CNN
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During President Joe Biden’s tenure, he held dozens of calls and several face-to-face meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Schaals, all with the goal of deepening the relationship based on democratic principles and shared values.
In return, Scholz expended considerable political capital on behalf of Biden: freeing a Russian murderer from a German prison as part of a deal to free three Americans from Russia, loosening a longstanding defense policy that allowed Ukraine to use German-made tanks against Russia. Coming to Biden’s defense after a debate show spelled the end of his political career.
“I think it’s a big mistake to underestimate the president,” he told PBS ahead of NATO’s 50.Th Annual Summit in Washington.
Now, with Biden out of a race with razor-thin and fringe allies, Scholz is welcoming the US president to Berlin, a visit to advance urgent foreign policy priorities and give a president a farewell tour. Valued alliances as a means of conflict resolution.
As part of the trip, Biden will meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Schalz, as well as announce a new US-German exchange program and dialogue on “aligning” private investment with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, senior administration officials said. Officer.
Biden’s meeting with the president will give him an opportunity to thank the German leader for his close partnership over the years and discuss global issues, particularly shared priorities in democratic institutions.
In addition to sitting down with the German leadership, Biden will also meet the leaders of the UK, France and Germany for a “European Quad” meeting to discuss “pressing” global challenges, from Ukraine’s succession plan to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. , the senior official said.
With American voters heading to the polls in less than three weeks, the White House expects no concrete policy change as the meetings come at a critical moment amid inflection points for Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. As a result of Biden’s visit.
During a day of official meetings downgraded from an official government visit planned before Hurricane Milton hit the US, Biden will hold extended discussions with Scholz and his team, as well as a summit including the leaders of France and the United Kingdom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had planned to attend the meeting before it was delayed.
On the agenda for the summit, officials say the leaders will have two main priorities: the growing challenges facing Ukraine, allies at odds over how to counter Zelensky’s “victory plan” and intensifying demands for long-range weapons. The situation in the Middle East is worsening as Israel plans to retaliate against Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
The “European Quad,” as Western officials have referred to it, represents one of the smaller alliances Biden has leaned on to build consensus as populist winds on both sides of the Atlantic raise wariness of large, global corporations.
Biden has instead opted for “minority,” as foreign policy experts refer to his strategy of dealing with small coalitions of like-minded nations.
On the policy front, the Biden administration has used this approach to consolidate support for sanctions against Russia and, most recently, Iran; Tariffs and export restrictions against China, which recently made the United States Germany’s largest trading partner; And hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure investment in Africa and Southeast Asia are meant to create a buffer against Beijing’s soft power.
Critics say these efforts have strengthened alliances — but not defeated adversaries. Fred Kempe, CEO of the Atlantic Council, said Biden had not taken decisive enough action to create a new axis of evil in response to Western democracies.
“Ironically, it is precisely Biden’s warning that has encouraged continued Russian, Chinese, North Korean and Iranian misbehavior,” Kempe said. writes. “The response of the United States and allies to increased cooperation among these countries has continued to diminish in actions that frustrate their common cause.”
For Biden, who is embarking on a farewell tour of sorts as he faces his final months in office, Germany stands out as a country that enjoys broad popularity thanks to the president’s policies.
According to a Pew Research Center poll on Biden’s views in 34 countries, 63% of German respondents said they trust Biden. In Poland — another country where aides see a Biden visit as a boost to Ukraine — 70% of respondents expressed confidence in Biden.
That trust level rises to 75% and 77%, respectively, in Kenya and the Philippines, two countries where the administration has advanced engagement and infrastructure projects to counter China’s influence. Pew data show.
Around the world, Biden has seen his approval ratings drop significantly, largely due to his handling of Middle East instability after October 7.
“How he faces that conflict is evident behind the significant decline between 2023 and 2024,” says Richard Wike, Pew’s director of global attitudes research. “But overall, he still gets higher ratings than Trump.”
With less than three weeks to go before the US election, Trump will be the elephant in every room where Biden meets with leaders. Many expressed relief behind the scenes after Biden’s election in 2020. Biden often recounts the response of another head of state when he proclaimed “America is back” at his first G7 summit.:”: “But for how long?”
According to a CNN report, foreign diplomats privately expressed concern over Biden’s cancellation of the debate program.
Now, as they consider the trajectory of the war in Ukraine, which has been simmering on Europe’s doorstep for years, allies must face the question of whether they should support more aggressive tactics to bring a quick end to the war, as Zelensky has insisted.
The discussions come at a more difficult time than when President Barack Obama promised allies in Germany and Greece a week ago during his final trip abroad that President-elect Trump would not abandon them. At a news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Obama tried to identify some of the forces that have led voters on both sides of the Atlantic to seek change — but issued a detailed warning about what’s to come.
“We must guard against the rise of a crude form of nationalism, an ethnic identity or tribalism built around an ‘us’ and ‘them’. Obama told reporters From Athens, he referred to as the birthplace of democracy. “The future of the world will be defined by what we have in common, as opposed to what divides us and ultimately brings us into conflict.”
