Biden in Berlin: Germany, US's closest ally

US President Joe Biden paid an official visit to Germany. He praised Germany as the US's closest ally. Under Beden, Washington-Berlin's axis had a quality reassession.

US President Joe Biden's official visit to Germany is a US assessment of Germany's role in Europe and the world.

In Berlin, Beden named Germany “the closest and most important one by US allies”. With Russia's attack on Ukraine, Germany reminded all of why the Natos alliance is so important, Biden said.

The American president brought with him high marks for German hosts. Before meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden stressed that under Scholz Germany stood up and faced the moment. Chancellor Scholz, Biden, praised it in words that “showed determination, to adapt German foreign policy, to new realities, and to stand by Ukraine firmly and without wavering. ”

In the geopolitical context, President Biden acknowledged Chancellor Scholz's credit for reacting directly at the right moment. You showed the wisdom to realize that this war marked a turning point in history. ”

Beden said in Berlin that Germany is extremely committed to Ukraine. “America and Germany are Ukraine's two biggest supporters in its struggle to survive as a free and independent nation”, Biden said. He further appreciated Germany's support for Israel and its fight against anti - Semitism and hatred in Germany.

RFR's highest escort for President Biden

Germany praised it on Friday (18.10). President Beden with the highest decoration: with “Nivel of the Great Cross of Merit”. Germany's President Frank Walter Steinmeier, at the special ceremony at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, said as motivation: “For decades' dedication to the transatlantic alliance, your distinguished leadership at Europe's most dangerous moment, and your remaining moral example of service, sincerity and dignity”.

Germany has so far praised with this award only one US president, from 14 American presidents since the establishment of the RFG -- George Bush the old. The support of the old Bush was crucial to Germany's reunification in 1989.

Biden is known to be at the end of his mandate, he already works for his political wish. On November 5th in the United States, a new president is elected. Since he came to Germany, however, it shows that Joe Biden sees the US-German solid relations as part of this covenant.

The last US president to officially visit Germany was Barack Obama, eight years ago. President Trump did not visit Germany. Beden had stayed in Germany at the G-7 meeting in Elmau in June 2022, but not on an official visit.

Significant improvement in US-German relations

In relation to Germany, Beden corrected not only unnecessary communication excesses with the former American administration's Berlin.

But he fed a friendly report with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Above all, political and security co-operation advanced.

Improved relationships are also associated with Joe Biden, active in politics since 1972, when Germany was the focus of the Cold War. As a witness of this time, Beden remembered today (18.10) in Berlin that Germany's reunification did not revive old rivalries. This was in view of the fear he accompanied in Europe in 1989, Germany's reunification.

His extraordinary experience in foreign policy and in relations with Europe causes Biden to be seen by some analysts as probably the last transatlantic US president.

Elements that testify to bilateral approach

Reforming Germany's basic foreign policy and security principles two years ago has naturally brought them closer to the US and Germany.

More visible Africa is in security policy: in organizing Western support for Ukraine; but also in the red lines of Western engagement in Ukraine, the determination to maintain it NATO out of combat in Ukraine.

Ukraine's president, Volodimir Zelenski, presented last week in Berlin and in several European capitals a <x0) winning” of his country.

The main point of the plan is Ukraine's immediate NATO membership bid. Both Washington and Berlin do not currently support this step. NATO reacted similarly, following a discussion with President Zelenski.

US recognises rise in German strategic role

The US reacted to Germany's weight increase in security policy with the war in Ukraine. By 2026, the United States will be stationing in Germany, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, long-range missiles and other missiles in NATO defence.

Under Beden, the US added the troops stationed in Germany, did not withdraw, as the previous administration planned. 38,000 American soldiers (2022) serve American interests in the world from Germany. Over $1 billion and a half dollars in additional military investments planned the US at bases in Germany in 2022/2023.

In turn, Germany was eventually oriented to modernisation of the weapons U.S., like. in the decision to buy American warplanes F-35.

Beden discussed Friday in Berlin with other European leaders, the future of engagement in Ukraine. Besides Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer came to Berlin for this purpose.

Symbolics and the Goal of Official Visits

President Biden came to Germany for a brief visit after he had officially visited other important European countries, such as France, Great Britain, Poland, and Italy.

But his statements in Berlin also contradict any observer's assumptions, that the US expected more from Germany today, so they did not top the list.

Beden was patient with the process of advancing political culture in Germany: from the top of the mandate, he gave up the US penal stance on Germany for the pipeline with Russia, Nordstream 2. He then agreed to supply Ukraine with heavy American tanks, when Chancellor Scholz hosted this as a preliminary step to supply Ukraine with heavy German tanks.

In Berlin they are aware of the weight and power of Germany, Europe and the world. So the Germans do not use all the protocol and diplomatic means to achieve symbolic spectacles with visits by representatives of other states, as any neighboring German country has done on other occasions.

The fact is that under Biden, US-German relations were deepened. This is also due to strong US orientation of Chancellor Scholz's government.

Biden's words today (18.10). In Berlin that Germany reminded everyone of NATO's importance are seen here as an allum for the Macron Declaration on NATO Brain Death. That was at a time that Biden was in France before Germany on a several - day visit. With France, the U.S. had problems. In September 2021 France withdrew the ambassador from Washington after the US of “received” a billion-euro submarine business with Australia.

The fact that today's visit is brief has to do with the emergency situation around Hurricane Milton, U.S.A. If he had come, according to the plan, to Berlin last week President Biden, the visit would have lasted several days. So: bilateral relations, currently, are very good. / DW