US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Germany next week, a government source said on Sunday, after an initially planned trip was canceled due to Hurricane Milton.
“He is coming to Berlin on Friday” for a one-day visit, the source said.
German media reported that Biden would meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, with an important agenda on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Previous Germany visit dates were between October 10 and 12 and included a four-way summit with Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
After withdrawing from the presidential campaign in July, Biden planned to visit Angola soon as part of a series of farewell trips abroad during the final months of his term.
He also announced a meeting of more than 50 Ukraine allies to discuss further support for kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was supposed to attend the meeting, but he went on a whirlwind two-day tour of European capitals, including Berlin, to ask for sustained military aid as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches its conclusion. third year.
However, on Tuesday, Biden canceled his visit to stay in the United States and oversee the response to Hurricane Milton which struck Florida, causing an estimated $50 billion in damage, killing at least 16 people and leaving millions people without electricity.
Traveling abroad as the hurricane approached would have posed serious political risks at home, just 28 days before a close U.S. presidential election.
Republican candidate Donald Trump spread misinformation about the emergency response of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee on November 5.
According to Spiegel magazine, the schedule for Biden’s visit next week will be much reduced compared to initial plans, which included an official state visit.
Nonetheless, Steinmeier is still expected to award Biden the German Order of Merit in recognition of his services to German-American friendship.