U.S President Joe Biden is set to embark on a journey to Europe tomorrow (its likely his last as president). The trip aims to discuss Ukraine support with key European figures
In Germany Biden will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz‚ President Emmanuel Macron of France and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer the day after tomorrow. Theyʼll talk about ways to help Ukraine defend itself. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to give Biden the countrys top award‚ the Special Class of the Grand Cross (which is only for heads of state)
A White House official said: “We want to put Ukraine in a position of strength we want it to prevail in this war‚ and we need to give it the capabilities that it needs to do that But we cannot do that alone — we need to do that with our partners and allies“
Biden has made supporting NATO and Ukraine a big part of his foreign policy. He went to Kyiv about one and a half years ago during Russias attack. In Poland‚ he said the world “would not look the other way“ when faced with Vladimir Putinʼs actions
European leaders are thinking about what might happen after Biden. They worry about big changes if Donald Trump wins or smaller shifts under Kamala Harris. A top NATO person said: “If we get Kamala Harris its going to be very interesting‚ because we dont know at all what her compass is when it comes to foreign policy We have no idea“
Ukraine wants Biden to get long-term U.S support before he leaves office. Volodymyr Zelensky showed Biden a “Victory Plan“ last month hoping for more help to end the war next year. But the U.S has been careful about some requests like letting Ukraine use American weapons for attacks deep in Russia
European countries are trying to set up aid packages and defense agreements before the U.S election in about 3 weeks. They know its hard to plan for Trump because hes unpredictable. As Michael Link‚ a German official‚ said: “No matter what happens in November‚ we must be prepared for the fact that the demands on Germany and the E.U for more responsibility will increase“
This trip is also a kind of goodbye between Biden and Scholz who have worked closely. As one expert put it: “I think this is also a farewell gift in a way‚ just to say‚ Thanks for keeping us as your main partner in Europe“