Biden goes to Germany to discuss Ukraine and the Middle East
US President Joe Biden left for Germany on Thursday for discussions with allies to support Ukraine's increasingly desperate war against Russia. Biden was also set to address the Middle East's mounting situation, as Israel announced it was probing if Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in a military assault in Gaza. During a 24-hour visit to Berlin, the US president will see German Chancellor Olaf Scholz before being joined in discussions by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Biden was supposed to travel to Germany last week for a multi-day tour that included a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a big gathering of Kyiv's friends, but he had to postpone it as Hurricane Milton approached Florida. The White House stated that the shortened, rescheduled visit to the key NATO ally would "further strengthen the close bond the United States and Germany share as allies and friends and coordinate on geopolitical priorities, including Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression and events in the Middle East."
Biden also wanted to pay Scholz a visit to express his gratitude for negotiating a prisoner swap deal with Russia earlier this year that freed US reporter Evan Gershkovich, according to US sources. However, the focus will be on Ukraine, with Biden, who pulled out of the 2024 presidential race in July, hoping to secure Western military help for Kyiv in his final three months in office. Allies are closely monitoring the November 5 US presidential election to see if Donald Trump, who has criticized the existing level of US assistance for Ukraine, would run again. Trump has also often promised to push through a peace accord if elected, even before entering office, which Kyiv believes will include Ukraine ceding portions of territory to Moscow.
Zelensky told friends in Brussels on Thursday that Ukraine must be in a position of strength before engaging in peace negotiations with Russia, as he detailed his "victory plan" to EU leaders and NATO defense commanders. More than two and a half years into the war, Kyiv is slowly but gradually losing ground in its eastern Donbas area and under rising pressure to devise an exit plan, which it claims must begin with increased Western backing. Biden revealed a new $425 million weaponry package for Ukraine, including air defense and armored vehicles, during a teleconference with Zelensky on Wednesday. The United States is by far the largest source of military help to Ukraine's fight against Russia's 2022 invasion, followed by Germany.
