International: Joe Biden says goodbye: What’s coming up during the presidential visit

A good three months before the end of his term in office, US President Joe Biden arrived in Germany for his first bilateral visit. His government plane Air Force One landed in the capital late in the evening, where meetings with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz are planned today, among others.

The 81-year-old had originally wanted to travel to Berlin a week earlier, but canceled the trip at short notice – because of a hurricane that was heading towards the southeast coast of the USA at the time. Now Biden is making up for his visit in a significantly scaled-down form, with a short working visit instead of a state visit. With the killing of Hamas leader Jihia al-Sinwar, the topic of the Middle East is moving higher in the talks.

A significant development in the Gaza war

Shortly before Biden’s arrival in Berlin, Israel announced that its own military had killed Hamas leader Sinwar. Biden, his deputy Kamala Harris and his national security adviser Jake Sullivan immediately saw this as a real chance for an end to the Gaza war and for the remaining hostages to be released from the hands of Hamas. Because Sinwar was a significant obstacle to a deal, they argued. It remains to be seen whether the optimism is justified.

The USA has been significantly involved in the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in recent months – so far with little success. But Sullivan emphasized that Sinwar’s death is now a significant development that offers a chance for real movement. The aim of the USA and its partners is not only to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but also to prevent Israel’s conflicts with Hezbollah and Iran from degenerating into a devastating conflagration. This is also what the talks in Berlin are about.

A gesture in both directions

For Biden, the flying visit is primarily a farewell trip. The Democrat will leave office in January. The fact that he is now traveling to Berlin after almost four years, in which he avoided Germany except for the 2022 G7 summit in Elmau, Bavaria, and did not pay a solo visit to the federal government, is a gesture.

“He did not want to let his term in office pass without visiting the capital of one of our most important partners and allies,” said Biden advisor Sullivan on the flight to Berlin. Germany is an important ally in NATO, in the G7 and in supporting Ukraine. Scholz recently helped the US President set up a major prisoner exchange with Russia with the politically sensitive release of the Tiergarten murderer.

But Scholz and Steinmeier also want to honor Biden in a special way. Steinmeier will award the Democrat the “Special Level of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic” – the highest honor that Germany can bestow. Of the 14 US presidents who have governed the Federal Republic since its inception, only George Bush senior has been honored with this honor. For Biden, who is working on his political legacy after a decades-long career and an abrupt end in the White House, this is an embellishment on his balance sheet.

After the chaotic years in office of the Republican Donald Trump, he had to repair some damage to transatlantic relations. And rallying Western partners to support Ukraine has been at the center of his foreign policy in recent years. Biden is something like Scholz’s favorite head of state. The Chancellor has oriented himself very much towards Biden, especially when it comes to Ukraine policy – while he never really warmed up to his most important European ally Emmanuel Macron.

What will become of Zelensky’s “victory plan”?

Macron will also be there in Berlin on Friday, as will British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. After a one-on-one meeting between Biden and Scholz, the four most important NATO countries will discuss together what they want to do with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan”. Biden and Scholz have so far agreed that Zelensky’s unconditional invitation to NATO has gone too far for them. The two are also skeptical about his plans to bring the war into Russian territory with Western weapons. Nevertheless, both are determined to remain Ukraine’s most important supporters in the defense against Russia.

Controversial deployment of US medium-range missiles

And then there is the planned stationing of US medium-range missiles in Germany from 2026. Scholz wants to do something to counter the missiles stationed by Russia in Kaliningrad. Many people in his own party also feel taken by surprise. The Chancellor should still expressly thank Biden for the help. Whether Germany will be able to rely on US military support in NATO in the future to the same extent as now remains to be seen.

The decision will be made on November 5th, when Americans can decide between Trump and Harris in the presidential election. If Trump wins, extremely difficult times are likely to dawn again in German-American relations.