Biden will seek to shore up Ukraine support in Germany, senior administration official says

President Joe Biden will travel on Thursday to Germany, an overseas trip that’s expected to carry with it a sense of urgency, as the president seeks to make sure Ukraine has everything it needs to defend itself, a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

The senior administration official made clear that Ukraine will be the primary focus of the trip, which comes in the final months of Biden’s presidency and is also likely his last trip to Europe while in office. It also comes shortly before the U.S. elections that could drastically change America’s role on the global stage.

The senior administration official talked about how Germany has been “a critical partner” to America’s efforts to make sure Ukraine is equipped to fend off Russian aggression. The official said that the U.S. and Germany have been rallying support from other allies for Ukraine’s war efforts.

“It has been the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, and has provided a number of high-end capabilities, including tanks and other artillery systems,” the senior administration official said.

Biden on Friday will arrive at Berlin’s Bellevue Palace to meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for an official welcome ceremony. Biden will then deliver remarks at the Order of Merit Ceremony. Biden will go afterward to the Chancellery to greet Chancellor Olaf Scholz. They will then deliver joint statements to the press.

When asked whether there was a sense of urgency for this trip, the senior administration official said there is “absolutely” a sense of urgency.

“So absolutely, there is a sense of urgency in the White House and coming from President Biden’s direction at the very top, to do everything that we can to put Ukraine in a position of strength and then ultimately to prevail in this conflict,” the senior administration official said.

“I mean, this is not just a war about Ukraine’s independence, its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its democratic character, although it is all of those things, but above and beyond that, this is about the world order. It is about the principle that a stronger country cannot just invade another country by force of arms, violate its territorial integrity, violate the sanctity of its borders, and then engage in frankly, what are?” the senior administration official added.

The senior administration official also mentioned that Biden would meet with leaders of other European countries to a range of issues related to the Israel-Hamas war.

“In terms of the quad meeting, quad leaders — meaning the United States, the U.K., France and Germany — will have an opportunity to discuss pressing global issues, including Ukraine, including the Middle East,” the senior administration official said.

“It will certainly include a discussion of, as I said, building a sustainable diplomatic solution to the conflict, that includes the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, but then also escalation concerns regarding Iran and the region, and then also the situation in Israel Gaza. All of those are obviously interconnected in different ways, and I’m sure the leaders will have a chance to discuss that in detail and align their positions on the way forward,” the senior administration official added.

Biden is also set to thank the Germans for the role that they played in the August prisoner swap that released American journalist Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and others.

“Germany was also critical to securing the release earlier this year of 16 prisoners, including Americans and Germans from Russian and Belarusian custody, as I said earlier this year, that took significant political leadership, and because of that concerted effort and frankly, bold decision making, our citizens are home with their families and friends and some of Russia’s most important distance are now living free,” the senior administration official said.

Germany held Vadim Krasikov, an assassin who was convicted of killing an opponent of the Kremlin in Germany. The decision by Germans to swap Krasikov was pivotal in the complex swap coming together, and Biden had to utilize his personal relationship with Scholz to achieve the end.

The senior administration official was asked whether there is anything to the timing of the trip, which comes less than three weeks before the presidential election, and the official said it would not be “a central talking point” for Biden in his meetings.

The senior administration official said that coming out of the trip, there will be several announcements that illustrating the “unique, enduring relationship” between Germany and the U.S.

“The president will announce a new exchange program that builds on our commitment to democracy and the democratic values that we safeguard,” the senior administration official added. “We’re also going to announce a new dialog focused on aligning private investment with emerging technologies, for example, artificial intelligence.”