BERLIN— Germany honored US President Joe Biden for his role in the Trans-Atlantic relationship on Friday, ahead of his meetings with European allies on Russia’s war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.
But the presidential election cast a long shadow over Biden’s trip, the first bilateral trip to Germany by a US president in nearly eight years.
With the election just weeks away and the race tight, there are concerns that Donald Trump’s victory could strain the relationship Biden hopes to extend to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Trump, the Republican nominee, wants to impose tariffs on key US security partners. He has expressed a lack of concern for Ukraine’s security, refusing to say during the presidential debate if he wants the US alliance to win its war with Russia. He expressed doubts about coming to protect NATO members if they are attacked.
That concern was evident as Biden received the highest class of Germany’s Order of Merit, which was also awarded by former US President George HW Bush for his support of German reunification.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pointed to Biden’s interest in Germany going back more than four decades. He said the friendship with the US “will always be important” to Germany, but there have been “moments of closeness and great distance.”
“Even recently, in the last few years, the distance has grown so much that we almost lost each other,” Steinmeier said, referring to the strained relationship during Trump’s presidency. He said Biden “restored Europe’s hope in the trans-Atlantic alliance overnight.”
“In the coming months, I hope Europeans remember: America is important to us,” he added. “And I hope the American people remember: Your allies are important to you. We are more than just ‘other countries’ in the world – we are partners, we are friends.”
Biden thanked German leaders for their role in helping Ukraine against Russian aggression.
“We will not stop,” he said. “We must support our support; in my opinion, we must continue until Ukraine achieves a just and lasting peace.”
Remembering the “broad history” he has seen in his 81 years, Biden said “we must never underestimate the power of democracy, never underestimate the importance of coalitions.”
Speaking on Air Force One en route to Berlin, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan rejected the idea that Biden wants to “proof Trump” on US foreign policy, because of the politics of that term. But Sullivan’s stated intentions appear designed to derail the Trump administration’s efforts to halt military aid to Ukraine after more than two years of fighting.
“What the president is trying to do is make our commitment to Ukraine permanent and institutionalized for the long term,” Sullivan said. “And all the other partners agreed that that was the right thing to do.”
But Sullivan cautioned that Biden ultimately can only speak for himself, not what he might do in his place.
“What President Biden can do is what he has done for four years, which is to state his vision of America’s place in the world and point the way forward based on what he thinks is the security of America and the interests of those close to us. ,” Sullivan said. “Besides, he can’t speak for anyone else and he doesn’t intend to.”
Trump said his approach would help the American economy and prevent foreign countries from taking advantage of America. He is adamant that if he was still president, Russia would never have attacked Ukraine in 2022 and Hamas would not have attacked Israel in 2023.
“I will end the war in Ukraine, stop the chaos in the Middle East, and prevent World War III,” he said at a recent rally in Georgia.
Harris, in turn, expressed strong support for Ukraine and tracks with Biden in supporting Israel, while emphasizing the need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian citizens whose lives have been improved by the war of Hamas.
Biden has long said his message to foreign leaders is that “America is back” and engaging with allies after Trump’s term in office. But the US president remembers being met with skepticism: “The phrase I hear the most from them is, ‘We see America is back, but for how long?’ But how long?’”
Biden did not want his time to end without visiting Berlin, after visiting other allies such as Japan, South Korea, France, India, the United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine.
Biden plans to meet later on Friday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Biden and Scholz will later meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer before the US president heads home on Friday afternoon.
Biden and Scholz plan to discuss next steps in Ukraine and developments in Israel and Gaza after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. They also intend to touch Lebanon and Iran, and coordinate their approach to China with their industrial and innovation strategies. The two are scheduled to talk about the development of artificial intelligence and renewable energy resources.
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