Biden on farewell visit to Germany, spoke with Scholz, Macron, and Starmer

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden today called on NATO allies to continue supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.

Biden is on a farewell visit to Germany just weeks before the US elections.

In Berlin, he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

They discussed a range of issues behind closed doors - including how to continue supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, as well as the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East.

- They discussed President Zelenskyy's plan for victory and how we can all work together to try to see if we can achieve a just peace that President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people will approve of. And of course, you know, can implement it - said White House spokesperson John Kirby.

As Ukraine faces its third winter of war and battlefield losses in the east, Kyiv and its allies fear that a potential return of Donald Trump to the White House would mean a reduction in US military support.

Biden had previously said that Western allies must "maintain our support until Ukraine achieves a just and sustainable peace.

- We are in a very difficult winter. We cannot give up - Biden said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday presented his "plan for victory" to the European Union and NATO, but his allies did not agree to his request for immediate NATO membership.

Washington and London have also rejected Ukrainian requests to use donated long-range weapons to attack targets within Russia, and Berlin has refused to send its own long-range missile system, Taurus.

- We are supporting Ukraine as strongly as we can, and at the same time, we are taking care that NATO does not become a party to the war, so that this war does not turn into an even greater catastrophe - said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

And the brutal conflict in Gaza also intruded on the state visit on Friday, with news that Israeli forces had killed a Hamas leader, the architect of the October 7, 2023 attack that started the war.

Standing on the tarmac late last night, a few minutes after landing in Germany, Biden commented on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops, calling it a "good day for the world".

- Now is the time to move forward. It is time for this war to end and for these hostages to return home - Biden said.

He added that he would send Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Israel to discuss further plans.

Kirby added that the administration's priority is the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.