Biden and Scholz vow to keep up Ukraine aid as prospect of Trump victory looms

BERLIN — U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to maintain support for Ukraine during a highly-symbolic meeting in Berlin on Friday as European leaders face the prospect of a Donald Trump victory in the U.S. election in less than three weeks.

“We must sustain our resolve, our effort and our support,” said Biden at the German chancellery. “I know the cost is heavy. But make no mistake. It pales in comparison to the cost of living in the world where aggression prevails.”

Biden’s visit comes at a time of particular peril for Ukraine as Russian forces in the east of the country make grinding advances in the full-scale war, now entering its third winter. European leaders are also facing great uncertainly about whether U.S. support for Ukraine will continue should Trump win the election in November.

Biden said he and Scholz would discuss efforts “to surge support to Ukraine’s military,” shore up Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and help Ukraine recover “by unlocking the value” of frozen Russian assets.

Both leaders praised German-American cooperation during the course of the war.

“Mr. President, from the beginning of the war, we have coordinated very closely across the Atlantic,” said Scholz. “That has made us strong. That has made the alliance strong.”

At the same time, Scholz alluded to the fine line that he and Biden have been walking during the war, providing Ukraine with military aid without going so far as to escalate the conflict.

 “We are making sure that NATO does not become a party to the war, so that this war does not turn into a much greater catastrophe,” said Scholz.

European concerns about a potential Trump victory were exacerbated by comments Trump made in a podcast released this week in which he appeared to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Biden for the war, comments that echo the views of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Joe Biden took office nearly four years ago with a promise to mend America’s relationship with Europe after years of strained ties during the Trump administration. Trump frequently targeted Germany in particular for its lagging defense spending, calling the country “delinquent.”

In a campaign rally earlier this year, Trump said he would not protect “delinquent” NATO allies from a potential Russian attack. “I would encourage them [the Russians] to do whatever the hell they want,” said Trump. “You gotta pay!”

This year, Germany said it would meet the NATO defense spending target of two percent of gross domestic product for the first time since the Cold War. In Berlin on Friday, Biden praised Germany for the reaching the target. “Please keep it up, because it matters,” he told Scholz.

Earlier in the day, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded Biden with the highest “Order of Merit.”

“Under your leadership, the transatlantic alliance has strengthened and our partnership is closer than ever before,” said Steinmeier. “In this friendship, there have been times of closeness and times of greater distance,” he added. “Just a few years ago, the distance had grown so far that we felt we might have lost each other.”

Biden also praised German leaders for providing more military aid to Ukraine than any other European country, and second only to the U.S.

But behind closed doors, Biden was expected to urge German leaders to be prepared to do more. Scholz has refused to provide German Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, even as U.S., France, and the U.K. have provided cruise missiles. Germany was also initially slow to provide critical weapons like battle tanks.

Later in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are scheduled to join Biden and Scholz for a so-called “quad meeting” in which the leaders are set to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Scholz said he hoped that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces would “hopefully” allow for the “concrete prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza” and an agreement to release hostages being held by Hamas.

“Our common goal remains a credible political process towards a two-state solution,”added Scholz. “We are fully committed to this.”