Why Biden is spending 24 hours in Berlin

President Joe Biden will make a 24-hour whirl wind trip to Germany to talk to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about their countries’ support for Ukraine and shore up his ally.

The visit is short but has many parts, including a meeting of the European Quad – Biden, Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer – to discuss the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

A senior administration official said: ‘President Biden will be happy to be able to thank Chancellor Scholz for the incredible partnership that they’ve had over these last three and a half years.

‘And then in terms of the quad, meaning quad leaders, meaning the United States, the UK, France and Germany will have an opportunity to discuss pressing global issues, including Ukraine, including the Middle East.’

The trip will give Biden a chance to stress the importance of the war-torn country as Americans prepare to vote for their next president. 

Biden will also be thanking Scholz for releasing Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who was convicted of the 2019 murder of a 40-year-old Georgian citizen who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.

Scholz’s decision paved the way for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, corporate security executive Paul Whelan, and other Americans to be released from captivity in Russia.

The president will also meet with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany.

‘The American president also stands for an incredible improvement in cooperation in recent years,’ Scholz said on Wednesday. ‘I am looking forward to his visit and I am grateful for the good cooperation.’ 

Biden was supposed to make a three-day trip to Berlin last week, which he postponed to handle Hurricane Milton, which killed at least 16 people and caused an estimated $50 billion in damage. The president visited the Florida to inspect the wreckage on Sunday.

That initial itinerary included a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and allied nations at Ramstein Air Force Base in western Germany.

Now that group, referred to as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, will meet virtually next month.

Still, the war in Ukraine will loom large during Biden’s time in Berlin this week.

Biden spoke by phone Wednesday with Zelensky ahead of his trip to reaffirm America’s commitment to Ukraine’s fight against Russia and announced a new trance of aid.

The Biden administration announced a further $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine, bringing its total to more than $64 billion in the two and a half years since Russia´s invasion.

‘The bottom line for the United States and for President Joe Biden is that we want to put Ukraine in a position of strength,’ the senior administration official said.  

The new package includes surface-to-air missiles to protect Ukrainian infrastructure from Russian attacks and long range rockets and artillery to help in the fighting.

The US, Germany, UK and France are all critical arms suppliers for Ukraine, delivering roughly $90 billion in direct military support since February 2022.

Zelensky and Biden however ‘are not going to have an opportunity to meet’ in Europe on this trip, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed Zelensky’s ‘victory plan,’ shortly after the Ukrainian leader presented it to his parliament. Zelensky is scheduled to present the five-point plan to the European Council on Thursday.

In discussing the trip, Jean-Pierre said Germany had provided ‘critical support’ for Ukraine, noting that it was the second largest provider of military aid for Kyiv after the United States.

She also hailed Scholz’s ‘bold decision’ to allow Germany to faciliate the prisoner swap with the Russians.

‘The president really wanted to make sure to go to Germany to thank Chancellor Scholz directly,’ she said. 

Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (above) before he left for Berlin but the two men will not have time to meet in Europe

The president will also likely be offering reassurances about democracy ahead of the election in the United States on November 5th. European allies are concerned about how much assistance Donald Trump will offer Ukraine if he wins the White House.

The war in the Middle East, which just hit the one year mark, will also be discussed.

Berlin and Washington have backed Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and Hezbollah but pushed for a way to bring an end to the conflict and avoid a possible regional conflagration.

Originally Biden was supposed to visit Angola after his Berlin stop. That visit has been postponed to December, which will fulfil Biden’s promise to visit sub-Saharan Africa as president.