When Joe Biden visits, everything is a few sizes smaller than originally planned. Nevertheless, someone in Berlin is particularly looking forward to a visit from his favorite ally.
What will happen during Biden’s visit?
It was actually supposed to be the first state visit by a US president to Germany in almost 40 years – with all the protocol honors and crowned by a major Ukraine solidarity summit in Ramstein. What remains of this is a 19-hour flying visit by 81-year-old Joe Biden to Berlin. Without a state banquet. Without the Ramstein summit. And without a big speech to the German public, as was the case so often when US presidents visited Berlin. John F. Kennedy (“I am a Berliner”) and Ronald Reagan (“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”) are still unforgotten in the former Cold War frontline city.
A speech by Biden was not planned from the outset, but a joint press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with questions from journalists was. That too is no longer applicable now. Only short statements from the two in front of cameras are planned.
What security measures are there?
The security precautions, including the closure of a large part of the government district, snipers on the roofs, divers in the Spree and sealed manhole covers, remained unchanged from Biden’s planned first visit.
Why was the visit postponed?
Hurricane Milton is primarily to blame for the visit being so evaporated. Because of the storm, Biden postponed his first bilateral visit to Berlin in his four-year term in office by a week. In the past few days there has been a hectic effort to put together an appropriate program for his farewell visit to Germany – a nightmare for the protocol officials in the Chancellery and the Federal President’s Office.
Who will Biden meet?
After his arrival planned for Thursday evening, Biden will first be received with military honors by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday morning at Bellevue Palace and will then receive the “Special Level of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic” – the highest award that Germany can award. Of the 14 US presidents who have governed the Federal Republic since its inception, only George Bush senior has received such high-profile decorations.
We then continue to the Chancellery, where Biden first meets Scholz alone. They are later joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This means that the heads of state and government of the four most powerful NATO partners and Ukraine’s most important allies are sitting together.
What topics are they about?
It is likely to be primarily about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan”. The USA and Germany are putting the brakes on Zelensky’s central demand, the unconditional invitation of Ukraine to NATO. At the start of the EU summit on Thursday, Scholz made it quite clear that he was not ready to move. “You know Germany’s position on the issues that are affected there. Nothing will change that,” he said of Zelensky’s five-point plan.
For Scholz, it was always important to go in step with the USA when supporting Ukraine. Biden is the head of state he values most of all. This is one of the reasons why it should be a particular satisfaction for him that the US President is visiting Berlin again three months before he leaves office.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
