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Biden in Berlin: The war in Ukraine turning point in history

2024-10-19 19:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

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

With Russia's attack on Ukraine, Germany reminded everyone why the NATO alliance is so important, Biden said. In Berlin, Biden called Germany "the closest and most important of the allies" of the US.

The American president brought with him high praise for the German hosts. Before the meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden emphasized that under the leadership of Scholz, Germany stood up and faced the moment. Chancellor Scholz, Biden praised with the words that "you showed the determination to adapt the German foreign policy to the new realities and to stand by Ukraine firmly and without wavering."

In the geopolitical framework, President Biden recognized Chancellor Scholz for having reacted correctly at the right moment. "You showed the wisdom to realize that this war marked a turning point in history."

Biden said in Berlin that Germany has been incredibly committed to Ukraine. "America and Germany are the two biggest supporters of Ukraine in its struggle to survive as a free and independent nation," Biden said. He further praised Germany's support for Israel and the fight against anti-Semitism and hatred in Germany.

FRG's highest decoration for President Biden

Germany awarded President Biden on Friday (18.10.) with the highest decoration: the "Special Level of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit". The President of Germany, Frank Walter Steinmeier, in the special ceremony at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, said by way of motivation: "For decades of dedication to the transatlantic alliance, your outstanding leadership in Europe's most dangerous moment and your moral example that remains, for service, sincerity and dignity".

Germany has so far awarded this decoration to only one US President, out of 14 US presidents since the founding of the FRG: the old George Bush. The support of the old Bush was decisive for the reunification of Germany in 1989.

It is known that Biden is at the end of his term, he is already working on his political legacy. On November 5, a new President is elected in the USA. That he nevertheless came to Germany shows that Joe Biden sees solid US-German relations as part of this legacy.

The last US president to officially visit Germany was Barack Obama, eight years ago. President Trump did not visit Germany. Biden 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, Biden corrected not only the unnecessary excesses in the communication style with Berlin of the previous American administration.

But he nurtured a friendly relationship with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Above all, cooperation advanced in terms of politics and security.

Improvement of relations is also related to the person of Joe Biden, active in politics since 1972, when Germany was the epicenter of the cold war. As a witness of this time, Biden recalled today (18.10) in Berlin that the reunification of Germany did not revive the old rivalries. By this he meant the fear that accompanied the reunification of Germany in Europe in 1989.

His extraordinary experience in foreign policy and in relations with Europe makes Biden seen by some analysts as perhaps the last transatlantic President of the USA.

Elements that prove bilateral rapprochement

The reformulation of the basic tenets of Germany's foreign and security policy two years ago has naturally brought the US and Germany closer together.

The most obvious approach is in security policy: in the organization of Western support for Ukraine; but also in the red lines of Western engagement in Ukraine, in the determination to keep NATO out of the fighting in Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented last week in Berlin and several European capitals a "victory plan" of his country.

The main point of the plan is the demand for immediate membership of Ukraine in NATO. Both Washington and Berlin do not currently support this step. NATO reacted similarly, after a discussion with President Zelenski.

The US recognizes Germany's growing strategic role

The US reacted to Germany's increased weight in security policy with the war in Ukraine. From 2026, the US will station in Germany, for the first time since the end of the cold war, long-range missiles and other missiles - in defense of NATO.

Under Biden, the US increased troops stationed in Germany, not withdrew them, as the previous administration planned. 38,000 American soldiers (2022) serve American interests in the world from Germany. Over $1.5 billion in additional military investment planned by the US in bases in Germany in 2022/2023.

For its part, in the modernization of armaments, Germany was oriented towards the USA recently, such as in the decision to buy American F-35 fighter jets.

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

The continuation of military and financial support for Ukraine was the topic of the quadrilateral summit. On the Middle East war, the leaders agreed on the "immediate need" to end the war in the Gaza Strip and release hostages held by Hamas. Symbolism and purpose of official visits

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

But his statements today in Berlin also contradict the assumptions of some observers, that the USA expected more from Germany nowadays, so they did not put him at the top of the list.

Biden was patient with the process of advancing the political culture in Germany: at the beginning of his term, he abandoned the punitive US stance towards Germany over the gas pipeline with Russia, Nordstream 2. Then he agreed to supply Ukraine with heavy tanks American, when Chancellor Scholz expected this as a preliminary step to supply Ukraine with heavy German tanks.

In Berlin, they are aware of the weight and power of Germany, in Europe and in the world. Therefore, the Germans do not use all protocol and diplomatic means to achieve symbolic spectacles with representative visits of other countries, as some neighboring countries of Germany have done in other cases.

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

Biden's words today (18.10.) in Berlin that Germany reminded everyone about the importance of NATO, are also seen here as an allusion to Macron's statement about NATO's brain death. This at a time when Biden was in France before Germany, on a several-day visit. The USA had problems with France. In September 2021, France withdrew its ambassador from Washington after the US "took over" a multibillion-dollar submarine deal with Australia.

The fact that today's visit is short has to do with the emergency situation surrounding Hurricane Milton in the US. If President Biden had come, as planned, to Berlin last week, the visit would have lasted several days. So: bilateral relations, currently, are very good./ DW