US President Joe Biden arrived in Berlin for a short visit. Biden's government plane, Air Force One, landed in the capital late yesterday evening, where the Democrat wants to meet today, among others, with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The 81-year-old was originally supposed to fly to Berlin a week ago, but canceled the trip at short notice – due to a hurricane that was heading towards the south-eastern coast of the US at the time. Now Biden is making up for his visit in a small way, with a short working visit instead of a state visit.
Diverse encounters and a rare honor
In the morning, Steinmeier first greeted Biden with military honors at Bellevue Palace, and then received the “Special Level of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic” – the highest honor Germany can bestow. Of the 14 American presidents who have ruled the Federal Republic since its establishment, only George H.W. Bush was honored with this honor.
A meeting is scheduled after that with Schulz in the Chancellery. They were later joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This means that the heads of state and government of the four strongest NATO partners and Ukraine's most important allies are sitting side by side. The main topics of the tour are likely to be the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Biden originally wanted to hold a large international conference with various heads of state and government at the US Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate during his visit to Germany to discuss further support for Ukraine. That won't happen now. The White House announced that the Ukraine summit will be held via videoconference in November.
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