The end of the transatlantic era: Scholz says goodbye to Biden and pledges to support Ukraine
Scholz and Biden: ‘Two Men with One Problem – Ukraine’ was the headline of a February 2024 article in the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, which sought to emphasise the role of both leaders in supporting our country. At the time, the US Congress was ‘criminally delaying a vote on aid to Ukraine’. The German chancellor and the American president tried to prevent this. Now, US President Joe Biden is wrapping up his time in the White House, and his farewell visit to Europe is full of symbolism and emotion. This is the moment when a leader who has spent his life supporting transatlantic unity says goodbye to European friends and allies. In Germany, this visit is being received with particular warmth, as the relationship between Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz has become not just a political partnership, but a true friendship. The German press warmly commented on the farewell meeting, emphasising the strong personal and political relationship between Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two leaders have maintained close cooperation, especially against the backdrop of global challenges such as the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis, and in restoring unity in NATO.
The last transatlantic
The Berliner Morgenpost writes that Europeans have witnessed the farewell of a ‘great transatlanticist of the old school’. A man who has European roots and is deeply convinced that the security of America and Europe is indivisible. With a president who, after the lost years of Trump’s rule and against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, revived NATO. And with a statesman who has never been blind to the challenges of our time, especially the climate crisis. With his departure, Biden leaves European leaders, including Olaf Scholz, with an important task: to continue the course that was laid out on the basis of cooperation and common security.
Transatlanticism is a concept that emphasises the special strategic, economic, cultural and political partnership between Europe and North America, especially the United States. The term reflects the idea of close cooperation between countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean based on shared values such as democracy, human rights, the rule of law and market economies.
The main instrument of transatlantic cooperation is NATO, which was created after World War II to ensure collective security and deter external threats, in particular from the Soviet Union and later from Russia.
Thanks to Biden, Putin’s plan has failed
The visit is of great importance to Scholz, a chancellor for whom this American Democrat has become a role model and a leading figure in Ukraine policy. ‘We owe it to your leadership that Putin’s plan has failed,’ Scholz said. Scholz coordinated the decision to supply Ukraine with more and more powerful weapons with the US president, and did not take a single step without Biden.
For a long time, until Biden, who was getting weaker by the day, withdrew his candidacy for the next presidential election in July with a heavy heart, making way for Kamala Harris, Scholz and his entourage defended the American president and his physical condition.
German media emphasise that after Biden leaves the White House, Scholz will miss this close ally.
‘No politician was more important to Olaf Scholz than Joe Biden in defining and justifying Germany’s course in the war in Ukraine,’ writes the leading German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
During the meeting, Scholz stressed the shared responsibility for peace. “Our position is clear: we support Ukraine as much as we can. At the same time, we are making sure that NATO does not become a party to the conflict, so that this war does not lead to an even greater catastrophe,’ the SPD politician said in Berlin. Biden also praised German-American relations in his statement. ‘Germany is one of his country’s most important allies. We have recently worked closely together on Ukraine.
First Biden, then Europe
Wolfgang Ischinger, former ambassador to Washington and former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, in an interview with ARD, describes the cooperation as extremely trusting. ‘This is a relationship in which Olaf Scholz could always rely on coordinating his actions with US President Biden first and foremost.’ Often even before he consulted with Europeans. When it came to helping Ukraine, Scholz did nothing without first consulting his partner Biden. No heavy weapons, no tanks were delivered without Biden’s consent. ‘Joe Biden is a man who knows exactly what he’s doing,’ said Scholz, who, in turn, always knew that he and Germany could count on Biden: a US president who supports multilateralism, loves and knows Germany. ‘Let me say, as president of the United States, America is back, the transatlantic partnership is back,’ Biden once said at the Munich Security Conference, addressing Scholz and other Europeans after the dark years of the Trump presidency.
A time of truth for Europe
Federal Political Correspondent Torsten Knuf believes that the November elections in the United States are a decisive moment for Europe.
Since the first term of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s presidency, it has been clear that he considers NATO and its security guarantees to be a costly, largely unnecessary undertaking. If Trump wins, he can be expected to cut off US military aid to Ukraine immediately after taking office and leave the country at the mercy of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The consequences for Europe’s security would be catastrophic. It is possible that Europeans will find themselves facing the need to confront Russian imperialism on their own in a few months. If Democratic candidate Kamala Harris wins, this will not happen. Harris promises to continue the transatlantic relationship. If the current vice president becomes the new head of the White House, the old West will survive.
Stern writes about the Ukraine-centric nature of the meeting between the leaders of the two powerful countries. In particular, Biden promised his country’s ‘strong and unwavering’ support for Kyiv. He noted that Berlin and Washington are the biggest supporters of Ukraine ‘and its struggle to survive as a free and independent nation’.
At the same time, Biden acknowledged that ‘the price is high’ and added: ‘But it’s nothing compared to the price you would have to pay for living in a world dominated by aggression and where big powers attack and bully smaller countries – just because they can.’
No word on Zelenskyy’s plan
Meanwhile, the German online news outlet RP Online draws readers’ attention to the fact that Scholz and Biden did not mention President Zelenskyy’s “Victory Plan”, although they said that Ukraine should be supported as strongly as possible and that Putin miscalculated when he attacked Ukraine. Both oppose the key demands of the Ukrainian president – an unconditional invitation to NATO and a war on Russian territory with heavy weapons from the West. Scholz made it very clear at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday that his position will remain unchanged.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, along with the conflict in the Middle East and the situation with Iran, was the main topic of the two-hour meeting of the four in Germany. The meeting, which took place in the afternoon, was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Biden called the meeting a success and noted the ‘complete unity’ between the participants. Starmer said: ‘We are absolutely united in our resolve and we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.’ A statement issued after the meeting said that the four leaders discussed plans to help Ukraine and reviewed Zelenskyy’s ‘victory plan’. They also stressed that they intend to continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to secure a just and lasting peace based on international law.
The German press generally emphasises that Biden and Scholz remain critical figures in supporting Ukraine.
However, their cautious stance on the Ukrainian president’s key demands suggests that the West is not ready to unconditionally accept all elements of Kyiv’s strategy.
Biden and Scholz are seeking to balance support for Ukraine with avoiding direct NATO involvement in the war.
