Merkel and Biden to chart a course for the future of US-German relations in White House meeting

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are set to meet in Washington on Thursday in what is likely the European leader’s final appearance at the White House before she steps down from her long-held position this fall, as reported by CNN.

The ongoing dispute between the United States and Germany over a Russian gas pipeline, called Nord Stream 2, is expected to play out between the two leaders in the Oval Office on Thursday, according to senior administration officials.

Climate change, Covid-19 vaccines, Russian cyber attacks, Ukraine and shoring up their democracies are also topics on the agenda, an official said. The visit comes just three months before Merkel leaves her role as chancellor of Germany in October, after having served in the position for more than 15 years.

Elections to replace the “chancellor of the free world” are in September. Biden will be the fourth US president with whom she’s interacted.

Administration officials have been consistent in describing the visit as a “working” session that is forward looking, despite Merkel’s limited time remaining atop the German government. But after a decade-and-a-half of visiting Washington, her final trip to meet a US president is a moment to reflect on her legacy. Biden will “convey gratitude” for Merkel’s leadership role in Europe and the world in their meeting, an official said.

Merkel starts the day with a breakfast hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Naval Observatory. She will be the first foreign leader Harris has hosted at her residence since moving in. Biden and Merkel will meet one-on-one in the Oval Office before an expanded session with aides and a concluding joint press conference.

Biden and his wife will host Merkel and her husband for dinner at the White House with a “range of individuals” who have been supporters of Germany.

And Merkel will also receive an honorary degree from Johns Hopkins University while in the states – marking her 18th honorary degree so far. Officials said the leaders will unveil a “Washington Declaration” that spells out a joint vision for cooperating on difference policy challenges, and a shared commitment to human rights and the results democratic leadership provides for the world.

They will also announce other initiatives, including a “futures forum” that brings together Americans and Germans from different sectors; an economic dialogue; and a climate and energy partnership.

The meeting comes shortly after the White House recently announced Biden would nominate Amy Gutmann to serve as the US ambassador to Germany. If confirmed she would be the first woman to serve in the role.