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Joe Biden welcomed Angela Merkel to the White House Thursday for bilateral meetings as the outgoing German Chancellor prepares to step down, during a visit that marked Biden’s latest attempt to strengthen relations with U.S. allies.
The two leaders met in the Oval Office and then held a joint press conference. Biden and Merkel vowed to work together to defend against Russian aggression and oppose China’s undemocratic actions, and also stressed the importance of the US-German alliance.
Biden said he also reiterated his concerns about the Nord Stream 2, a major and nearly complete pipeline that will connect Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, but he and Merkel were united in their belief that Russia will not should not use weapon energy.
“We stand in solidarity and will continue to do so to defend our Eastern flank allies in NATO against Russian aggression,” Biden said at their joint press conference.
He said the two countries will stand up for democratic principles and universal rights when they see China or any other country working to undermine a free and open society.
The president also said he and Merkel had discussed travel restrictions in the event of an ongoing pandemic and when it would be safe to lift the ban on travel from Europe to the United States.
“It’s underway now. And I’ll be able to answer that question for you in the next few days, which is likely to happen, ”Biden said, adding that he had asked his administration’s coronavirus team to assess when the restrictions should be lifted.
Biden used the briefing to pay tribute to the German leader, as she nears the end of a political career that has spanned four US presidencies. “On a personal note, I have to tell you that you will be missed at our summits,” Biden said as he stood with Merkel, the second incumbent chancellor in German history. “I really will.”
Merkel’s visit underscored Biden’s efforts to strengthen American alliances, after four years of conflicted leadership by Donald Trump. Biden, 78, and Merkel, 66, have known and worked together for years, and agree on a range of broader issues. The two leaders want to strengthen the transatlantic relationship which has suffered from the former president’s frequent and scathing criticism of close United States allies, and are committed to doing so in the future.
“The cooperation between the United States and Germany is strong and we hope to continue it, and I have no doubts that we will,” Biden said as they began an Oval Office meeting that lasted for more than a year. hour.
“I appreciate the friendship,” said Merkel, the first European leader to visit Biden at the White House, stressing America’s role in building a free and democratic Germany after World War II.
Merkel started her day with a working breakfast with Vice President Kamala Harris, and Harris’s office said the two had a “very frank discussion.”
But despite the personal warmth, the US-Germany relationship is now at a crossroads as Merkel, who is not running for another term in the September election, nears her departure from office. The two leaders don’t have much time to work together to strengthen ties between the world’s largest and fourth largest economies, and there are concerns on both sides over how the two nations will negotiate growing disagreements.
The United States has long argued that the Nord Stream 2 project will threaten European energy security by increasing the continent’s dependence on Russian gas and allowing Russia to exert political pressure on vulnerable countries in the world. Eastern and Central Europe, in particular Ukraine. But Biden recently lifted sanctions against German entities involved in the project, a move that angered many members of Congress.
Merkel sought to downplay the differences and emphasize that the pipeline is in addition to – and not intended to replace – Ukrainian pipelines.
Germany and the United States also disagree over the wisdom of partnering with China on trade plans, temporary patent waivers to speed up global production of Covid-19 vaccines, and ongoing restrictions on Europeans traveling to the United States.
On Thursday evening, Merkel and her husband will attend a dinner hosted by the Bidens at the White House. Guests include U.S. lawmakers, former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton, and Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, the White House said.
Back home, Germany and neighboring Belgium faced the consequences of heavy flooding that left more than 30 dead and dozens missing. “My sympathy goes out to the loved ones and to the dead and missing,” Merkel said at the press conference.
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