BERLIN (AP) — As U.S. President Joe Biden held meetings Friday with Ukraine’s Western allies and European partners, it was important to “retain our resolve” in supporting the country, with the upcoming U.S. presidential election casting a long shadow over his trip to Germany.
Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Schaals, Ukraine’s second-largest military supplier, after the United States, who held talks alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Conflict in the Middle East.
With a few weeks away and the race so tight, there are concerns that a win will be the case Donald Trump. Kamala HarrisDemocratic candidate.
Trump has an appetite Imposition of trade charges Among the major US defense partners. He revealed Neglect of Ukraine’s securityRefusal to say during presidential debate if US ally wants to win war against Russia He Doubts voiced About coming to the defense of NATO members if they come under attack.
The assembled leaders never uttered Trump’s name in public, but their comments often signaled a potential withdrawal of support from Ukraine and an affront to the global alliances that Biden and his colleagues hold so important.
“As Ukraine faces a difficult winter, we must maintain our resolve, our effort, and our support,” Biden said. “And I know the cost is heavy. Make no mistake, this is tantalizing compared to the cost of living in an aggressive world where big states attack and bully smaller ones. “
Scholes said, “We will stand by Ukraine,” pointing to the planned $50 billion International Debt Collection Funded by interest on profits from frozen Russian assets.
“Our position is clear: we support Ukraine as strongly as possible,” he said. “At the same time, we take care that NATO does not become a party to the war, so that this war does not end in an even greater catastrophe.”
Scholes indicated that he was skeptical about one aspect “Winning Project” It was drawn up by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and says he will stand by the Taurus refusal to deliver long-range cruise missiles to Kiev.
After visiting other key allies such as Japan, South Korea, France, India, the UK, Poland and Ukraine, Biden doesn’t want his term to end without visiting Berlin.
Concerns about what might come next were reflected as Biden received Germany’s highest class of the order, which was also awarded to a former US president. George HW Bush In recognition of his support for German reunification.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the friendship with the United States “will always be of existential importance” for Germany, but is always “closer and more distant at times.”
“Even recently, a few years ago, the distance grew so wide that we lost each other,” Steinmeier said in a reference to strained relations during Trump’s previous presidency. He said Biden “overnight restored Europe’s confidence in the trans-Atlantic alliance.”
“In the coming months, I hope Europeans will remember: America is indispensable to us,” he added. “I hope Americans remember: Your allies are vital to you. We are more than ‘other countries’ in the world – we are partners, we are friends.”
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“We must never underestimate the power of democracy, never underestimate the value of coalitions,” Biden said, recalling the “vast amount of history” he’s seen in his 81 years.
When he met with Scholz, Biden said he was “grateful for Germany’s cooperation in holding Iran accountable for its destabilizing policies, including providing Russia with missiles and drones for use against Ukraine.” He pointed to the new one European sanctions “This integration must continue,” he said, against Iran’s leading airlines.
Biden reiterated his call for Israel to pursue peace after the killing Hamas leader Yahya Shinwar – which he described as “a moment of justice”.
“I told the Prime Minister of Israel yesterday, let’s take this moment as an opportunity to find a path to peace, a better future without Hamas in Gaza,” he said.
Trump has said his approach will help the US economy and prevent foreign countries from taking advantage of the US. He says that if he were still president, Russia would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Hamas would not 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 his part, has voiced strong support for Ukraine and has sided with Biden in support of Israel, while placing particular emphasis on the need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians whose lives have been upended by the Hamas-Israeli war.
