What's happened
President Biden's recent visit to Germany focused on sustaining support for Ukraine and addressing the escalating conflict in the Middle East. With the U.S. presidential election approaching, concerns grow over potential shifts in U.S. foreign policy, particularly regarding support for Ukraine amid fears of a Trump presidency.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to the New York Times, Biden emphasized the need for allies to ensure that 'Ukraine prevails and Putin fails,' highlighting the urgency of support as winter approaches. Meanwhile, Politico noted that Biden's visit comes at a time of peril for Ukraine, with Russian forces making advances. Scholz's remarks about Germany's commitment to Ukraine reflect a shared resolve among European leaders, as reported by the South China Morning Post. However, concerns linger about the potential withdrawal of U.S. support should Trump return to power, as he has expressed skepticism about NATO and Ukraine's defense.
How we got here
Biden's trip to Germany comes as Ukraine faces a challenging winter in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The visit aims to reinforce transatlantic alliances and ensure continued support for Ukraine, especially as the U.S. election looms and the potential return of Donald Trump raises uncertainties.
More on these topics
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Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and represented Delaware in the United States Senate
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Olaf Scholz is a German politician serving as Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor under Chancellor Angela Merkel since 14 March 2018.
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast.
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe. Covering an area of 357,022 square kilometres, it lies between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south.
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Sir Keir Rodney Starmer KCB QC MP is a British politician and former lawyer who has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015.
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Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
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Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron is a French politician who has been President of France and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra since 14 May 2017.
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Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3,769,495 inhabitants make it the most populous city proper of the European Union. The city is one of Germany's 16 federal states.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Kamala Devi Harris is an American attorney and politician who has served as the junior United States Senator from California since 2017.