Biden says sending US forces to Haiti “not on the agenda right now”

Washington – President Biden said Thursday that sending US forces to Haiti “is not on the agenda at the moment.” Haiti had asked the United States and the UN for military forces to help secure the country’s main infrastructure following the assassination of the Haitian president. Jovenel Moses a few days ago.

Mr Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the United States only sent US Marines to the embassy in Haiti to ensure it was “secure and that nothing was out of whack “.

At the same time, Cuba has recently seen a wave of protests over food shortages, rising prices and the government’s failure to stop rapid spikes. COVID-19 infections. Asked about Cuba and Communism by CBS News Radio White House correspondent Steven Portnoy, Mr. Biden said, “Communism is a broken system. A universally failing system. And I don’t see socialism as a very useful substitute.

Mr Biden said he would be prepared to donate “significant quantities of vaccines” to Cuba, but only “if, in fact, I was assured that an international organization would administer these vaccines and do so in the way that average citizens would have access to these vaccines. ”

During the press conference, the president also raised doubts about the infrastructure proposals and “human” infrastructure which should be examined by the Senate in the coming days.

“Listen, I understand why the press and others are skeptical about the possibility of reaching this agreement on infrastructure and on human infrastructure,” Biden said. “I have watched and listened to the press declare my initiative dead at least 10 times so far. I don’t think she’s dead. I think she’s still alive. I still trust that we will be able to. get what I proposed and what I accepted in a bipartite infrastructure agreement. ”

He said of the GOP senators who are part of the bipartisan infrastructure deal: “I trust the members of the Republican senators who made the commitments on how we should proceed and what would be included in it. the infrastructure package. They are men and women of honor, and I expect them to keep their commitment. “

In Thursday’s talks with Merkel, who has served as Chancellor for more than 15 years and will step down soon, Biden on Thursday stressed the strength of US-German relations, insisting that relations between the two countries are “strong and reinforcing”.

The president announced that the two countries are launching a climate and energy partnership to work on pressing climate change issues, as well as a “future forum” to collaborate on ideas in areas such as business. and science. Mr Biden also said he and Merkel were united in their belief that Russia should not be allowed to use energy as a weapon to bypass its neighbors. Merkel, for her part, also addressed threats from Russia and China.

Merkel, through a translator, said the United States was “assessing the issue” of Germany’s travel restrictions to the United States, which were raised during her meeting with the president. Germany is currently on the US list of countries with travel restrictions, even as vaccines become more widely available. Merkel noted the prevalence of the Delta variant as a consideration. And she discussed their conversations on Nord Stream 2, the pipeline that will transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, and economic and diplomatic relations with Russia.

“But let me say very clearly, our idea is and remains that Ukraine remains a transit country for natural gas, that Ukraine, like any other country in the world, has the right to territorial sovereignty, c ‘that’s why we continue to engage, “she said. “We will act actively if Russia does not respect this right of Ukraine as a transit country. So, Nord Stream 2 is an additional project, and unfortunately no project replaces some kind of transit to Ukraine. the rest would obviously create a lot of tension. “

During their meeting, the two leaders also addressed the need to share vaccines around the world, as well as security challenges in places like Afghanistan.

President and First Lady Jill Biden welcome Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer, to dinner in the State Dining Room. The dinner will feature a variety of guests, from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will also be in attendance for the dinner.