US President Joe Biden made a flying visit to Berlin on Friday, spending less than 24 hours in the German capital to meet with German, French, and British leaders for discussions.
During his visit to Berlin, US President Joe Biden engaged in discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focusing on further support for Ukraine as his time in office draws to an end.
As he met Scholz, Biden said he was “grateful for Germany’s cooperation in holding Iran accountable for destabilising policies, including providing missiles and drones to Russia to use against Ukraine.” He pointed to new European sanctions against Iran’s leading airlines and said that “this coordination is going to have to continue.”
Following the recent news of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death — responsible for last year’s October 7 massacre — it’s highly likely that the topic of Israel and Gaza was also a key agenda for the meeting.
Scholz, Macron, Starmer, and Biden all call for a ceasefire, with US Vice President Kamala Harris also joining their support.
Biden reiterated his call for Israel to pursue peace after the killing of Hamas leader — which he described as “a moment of justice.”
The trip is Biden’s first and only official visit to Berlin during his time, and the first bilateral visit by a US president since Barack Obama was at the reigns eight years ago.
Biden’s trip underline the importance of the US-Germany relationship, which may shift in priority depending on the outcome of the upcoming US elections in November.
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