US President Biden to visit Germany in mid-October

BERLIN

US President Joe Biden will visit Germany next month for talks on bilateral relations and Ukraine, a German government spokesman said on Friday.

“The German government is looking forward to the visit of US President Joe Biden to Germany from Oct. 10 to 12,” spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told a press conference in Berlin.

“This visit will provide an opportunity to highlight the significance of the German-American relationship as a whole, and the close cooperation between the two governments in particular,” he said.

Hebestreit said the Western military support for Ukraine against Russia would be among the main agenda items.

“The planning is still underway, but I can tell you that the visit will reflect the close bilateral ties between our countries, as well as the close coordination on international issues,” he stressed.

“I can confirm that, together with the US side, we are also planning to host a high-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group,” he said, referring to the regular meetings of the Western allies at Ramstein Air Base.

Hebestreit did not give any further details on the planned meeting.

Ukraine Defense Contact Group brings together around 50 countries, mostly from NATO nations, to coordinate and accelerate military assistance to Kyiv. The group’s previous meetings were held at the level of defense ministers or senior military officials.