President Biden said it is important for Ukraine's Western allies to “maintain our resolve” to support the country as he held meetings Friday with European partners, as the upcoming U.S. presidential election cast a long shadow over his visit to Germany.
Biden met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Ukraine's second-largest military supplier after the United States. They were joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks that also addressed the conflict in the Middle East.
With the election just weeks away and the race extremely close, there are concerns that a victory by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, could upset the relationships that Biden hopes to convey to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. European leaders are expressing deep concerns about a second Trump administration, fearing a dramatic shift in US foreign policy, particularly regarding support for Ukraine.
Trump has an appetite to impose trade tariffs on key US security partners. He has expressed indifference toward the safety of Ukrainerefusing to say during a presidential debate whether he wants America's ally to win its war against Russia. He has expressed doubts about coming to the defense of NATO members if they are attacked.
European nations worry that a second Trump presidency could undermine their efforts to combat Russian aggression, leaving them more isolated and vulnerable. The prospect of losing critical U.S. support has leaders scrambling to plan for an uncertain future.
The assembled leaders never spoke Trump's name in public, yet their comments often hinted at the possibility that he could withdraw support for Ukraine and disparage global alliances that Biden and his counterparts view as critical.
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“As Ukraine faces a harsh winter, we must, we must, maintain our determination, our effort and our support,” Biden said. “And I know the cost is high. Make no mistake, it pales in comparison to the cost of living in the world where aggression prevails, where large states attack and intimidate smaller ones simply because they can.”
Scholz said “we will stand by Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” pointing to a $50 billion international loan plan funded by interest on profits from frozen Russian assets.
“Our position is clear: we support Ukraine as strongly as possible,” he added. “At the same time, we are concerned that NATO does not become a party to the war so that this war does not culminate in an even greater catastrophe.”
Scholz praised Biden's leadership in rallying global support for Ukraine, saying: “It is thanks to his leadership that Putin's plans failed, that Ukraine was not invaded in a few days.” Scholz went on to highlight the bravery of Ukraine's armed forces and international support, particularly from the United States and Germany, which has helped Ukraine resist the Russian invasion for more than two and a half years.
“Together we are committed to the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine so that Russia cannot subjugate Ukraine by force. “We stand by Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” the chancellor said. “Putin has miscalculated.”
Scholz has indicated he is skeptical about some aspects of the “victory plan” drawn up by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and says he will maintain his refusal to supply Taurus long-range cruise missiles to kyiv.
Biden did not want his term to end without visiting Berlin, after having visited other key allies such as Japan, South Korea, France, India, the United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine.
Concerns about what could come next were reflected when Biden was awarded the highest class of the German Order of Merit, which was also awarded to the former US president. George HW Bush in recognition of his support for German reunification.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said friendship with the United States is “and always will be existentially important” for Germany, but that there have always been “times of proximity and greater distance.”
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“Even recently, just a handful of years ago, the distance had grown so much that we almost lost each other,” Steinmeier said, referring to strained relations during Trump's previous presidency. He said Biden “restored Europe's hope in the transatlantic alliance literally overnight.”
“In the coming months I hope Europeans remember: the United States is indispensable to us,” he added. “And I hope Americans remember: your allies are indispensable to you. “We are more than just ‘other countries’ in the world: we are partners, we are friends.”
Recalling the “broad historical journey” that he has seen at 81 years old, Biden said: “we must never underestimate the power of democracy, never underestimate the value of alliances.”
Meeting with Scholz, Biden said he was “grateful for Germany's cooperation in holding Iran accountable for its destabilizing policies, including providing missiles and drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.” He pointed to new European sanctions against Iran's major airlines and said “this coordination will have to continue.”
Biden reiterated his call for Israel to seek peace after the Assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — which he described as “a moment of justice.”
“Yesterday I told the prime minister of Israel that let us also make this moment an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas,” he said.
Trump has said his approach will help the American economy and prevent foreign countries from taking advantage of the United States. He maintains that if he were still president, Russia would never have invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Hamas would never 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, for her part, has expressed strong support for Ukraine and agrees with Biden on supporting Israel, while placing special emphasis on the need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians whose lives have been disrupted by the war between Hamas and Israel.
contributed to this report.