WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is heading to Germany Thursday and will visit Angola the first week in December, rescheduling visits that were postponed so he could remain in Washington to monitor the federal response to Hurricane Milton as it struck Florida.
The White House confirmed Biden will depart for his quick trip to Berlin on Thursday. It will offer him the opportunity to huddle with his key ally, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, about their countries' support for Ukraine in its war with Russia as the conflict is at another critical moment.
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Biden's initial itinerary for the postponed trip included a meeting on the war in Ukraine with allied nations at an American military base in Germany before he was to continue on to Angola.
The White House says that the gathering of representatives of the allied nations, partners in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, will instead take place virtually next month. Still, the war in Ukraine will loom large during Biden's time in Berlin this week.
Biden spoke by phone Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but they will not meet while the president is in Germany.
The two leaders discussed Zelenskyy's “victory plan," shortly after the Ukrainian leader presented it to his parliament . Zelenskyy is scheduled to present the five-point plan to the European Council on Thursday.
Zelenskyy had previously spoken to Biden about the proposal.
The plan includes an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western-supplied longer-range missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory — steps that have been met with reluctance by Kyiv’s allies so far.
The White House on Wednesday declined to comment about the plan.
“We’re going to let the Ukrainians speak to their victory plan," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “What we’re going to continue to do is show our support for the Ukrainians on the battlefield as they continue to beat back Russia.”
Zelenskyy said in a statement following the call he also spoke to Biden about the U.S. and Ukraine potentially exploring ways to produce weapons together.
The Biden administration also announced a further $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine, bringing its total to more than $64 billion in the two and a half years since Russia’s invasion. Wednesday’s package includes surface-to-air missiles to protect Ukrainian infrastructure from Russian attacks and long range rockets and artillery to help its war effort.
Biden and Scholz recently spoke by phone to discuss the need for the countries to “continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression,” according to the White House.
Jean-Pierre said the trip was important to Biden, in part because of Germany's help with a complicated hostage swap with Russia.
“The president really wanted to make sure to go to Germany to thank Chancellor Scholz directly," she said.
Scholz in a speech before the German parliament on Wednesday said he was looking forward to Biden's visit. “I would like to say that … President Biden stands for an incredible improvement in cooperation over recent years,” said Scholz, adding that he was grateful for the “good collaboration” forged with the Democratic president.
There's a significant measure of anxiety in Europe about what next month's U.S. presidential election could mean for Ukraine.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has been in lockstep with Biden about the need to maintain robust economic and military support for Ukraine. Republican Donald Trump has said he would move to quickly to end the war the war with Russia should he regain the White House.
Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has said that the plan would include establishing a “demilitarized zone” and that Ukraine would not reclaim territory that Russia occupies and would agree not to join NATO.
Scholz has been one of Biden's closest global allies.
In addition to his robust support for Ukraine, Scholz played a critical role in helping free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, corporate security executive Paul Whelan, and others from Russian prisons in a multinational prisoner swap.
As part of the biggest prisoner exchange in post-Soviet history, Scholz agreed to release Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who was convicted of the 2019 murder of a 40-year-old Georgian citizen who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.
Biden has not visited Africa since taking office in early 2021.
Jean-Pierre said the coming visit to Luanda aims to “recognize Angola’s role as a strategic partner and regional leader, and discuss increased collaboration on security, health, and economic partnerships.”
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AP writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Colleen Long in Washington contributed.