U.S. President Joe Biden urged a continuation of Western support for Ukraine in Berlin on Oct. 18. The president had arrived earlier in the day for high-level talks with the leaders of Germany, the U.K., and France on Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"We cannot let up. We must sustain our support. In my view, we must keep going until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace consistent with the U.N. Charter," Biden said.
The West must "ensure that Ukraine prevails and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin fails and NATO remains strong and more united than ever."
Biden had previously canceled foreign trips to oversee recovery efforts after a series of devastating hurricanes hit the east coast of the U.S.
"Ready to greet old friends and strengthen our close alliance as we stand together for freedom and against tyranny around the world," the president wrote on X, sharing a picture of his arrival in Berlin.
Biden will first hold bilateral talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before a wider meeting with other leaders.
"The situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, the trajectory of the war, how allies can best support Ukraine will be a subject of conversation," a senior U.S. official said ahead of Biden's trip.
In a speech outside the presidential palace, Steinmeier thanked Biden for his role in helping stabilize the U.S.'s role in NATO.
"When you were elected president, you restored Europe’s hope in the transatlantic alliance literally overnight."
Kateryna Denisova
There has been intense speculation — as well as concern — about how next month's presidential election could impact U.S. support for Ukraine.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he would "get out" of the war, while Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to maintain U.S. assistance.
Trump has often claimed he would end Russia's war within "24 hours" without elaborating on how he plans to achieve it. Some reports and statements from Trump's inner circle indicate this might entail pressuring Ukraine to cede territory or give up on its NATO aspirations.
Ukraine and its Western allies have acknowledged the crucial role that the U.S. has played in supporting Kyiv as its largest provider of aid since the beginning of the full-scale war.
On Oct. 16, Scholz emphasized to the German parliament that "Germany and the U.S are the biggest supporters of Ukraine in defense of its sovereignty and integrity and its democracy. And we will continue to be so."
"But this is a time when, in addition to our clear support for Ukraine, we must also do everything we can to find out how we can ensure that this war does not go on forever, that it does not continue to kill an unbelievable amount of women and men."
Discussions on Ukraine's victory plan, which President Volodymyr Zelensky shared behind closed doors with allies in recent weeks and made public on Oct. 16, are also expected.
One of the key tenets of the plan is an unconditional invitation for Ukraine to join NATO. While Western leaders have repeatedly said that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance at some point, a specific timetable for its accession has not been publicly clarified.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
