AP
Biden urged Scholz and other loyal allies «to maintain support for Ukraine»
Last Friday (October 18) in Berlin, Joe Biden looked somber. The American president essentially bid farewell to an era of close friendship with Germany. Whoever is the next occupant of the White House will be forced by geopolitical realities to shift their focus to the Indo-Pacific region and seek new reliable allies there. Ties to Europe will inevitably fade.
Throughout Biden’s presidency, Germany has remained a key partner, consistently demonstrating its loyalty through action. It is firmly in second place (after the U.S.) in political and military support for the Ukrainian regime and is among the countries that strongly support the pro-American stance of supporting Israel’s right to self-defense amid the current escalation of the Middle East conflict.
Let me remind you that Biden was born in 1942 and grew up in a country that helped rebuild Germany. He entered politics at a time when both parts of Germany (West and East) had effectively become the center of the Cold War. This conflict was a cornerstone in shaping «Old Joe’s» foreign policy experience, and he has always had a special, trusting relationship with Germany’s pro-American leadership.
During Biden’s farewell visit to Berlin (while still in office), he was honored as the last Atlanticist president.
«Just a few years ago (Donald Trump’s name wasn’t mentioned — ed.), the distance between the U.S. and Europe grew so great that we almost lost each other. When you were elected president, you restored Europe’s hope in the transatlantic alliance overnight», said Frank-Walter Steinmeier as he presented his guest with his country’s highest honor. The German president did not specify how things would go from here.
The visit itself turned out to be far less than the grand celebration the German authorities had prepared a week earlier: due to its brevity — less than 24 hours — many events had to be canceled, including the official state banquet.
From the presidential palace, the American guest went to the Chancellor’s office.
«We will discuss expanding support for the Ukrainian military, protecting energy infrastructure, and how to facilitate Ukraine’s recovery using frozen Russian assets. […] A tough winter lies ahead, and we must not relax; we cannot afford to tire», Biden said at a brief press conference before his talks with Olaf Scholz. According to him, support must continue until Ukraine achieves a just and lasting peace, even though «the cost to the Western allies is likely to be significant». However, he noted that these costs «pale in comparison to the price of living in a world where aggression prevails, where large states invade and intimidate smaller ones simply because they can».
Scholz, for his part, vowed to stand by Ukraine.
«Putin has miscalculated. He will not be able to survive this war», he declared without offering any evidence.
Notably, the negotiators decided to discuss not only the Ukrainian issue, but also the situation in the Middle East. Both eagerly welcomed the news of the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Biden called this a «moment of justice» and said that Sinwar had «the blood of Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, Germans and many others on his hands».
Scholz expressed hope that «concrete prospects for a cease-fire and an agreement on the release of hostages in Gaza will now emerge”. He reiterated: “We stand with Israel».
Consultations on these issues continued with an expanded group, as French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rushed to the German capital. The discussions were brief. After all, what was there to negotiate in detail with Biden less than three weeks before the next U.S. presidential election? They simply thanked him, promised to appreciate and remember him…
As the still-incumbent U.S. president (whose term ends on January 20 next year) left the Chancellor’s residence, accredited members of the press shouted several questions: «Was Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ discussed? What can you say about the Ukrainian president’s threat to develop nuclear weapons?» Biden stopped, turned around, and… remained silent.
As for the former comedian who, one day before Biden’s visit to Berlin, presented his illusions first to EU leaders in Brussels and then to NATO defense ministers — he was simply not allowed into Berlin, despite his eagerness to go. Apparently so as not to spoil the occasion…
«The European Union entered this war with a badly organized, poorly executed and wrongly calculated strategy, for which the Commission President (Ursula von der Leyen — ed.) bears the main responsibility. We are losing this war, which means the strategy isn’t working», Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote on one of his social media pages, calling Zelensky’s «plan» «more than alarming». He promised to urge Chancellor Scholz and President Macron to quickly begin negotiations with Russia «on behalf of the entire EU» to «find a way out of the current situation».
He added: «If a ‘plan for victory’ has been presented, what was the previous one — ‘the plan for defeat’?»