Biden postpones visit to Germany due to hurricane

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden said yesterday that he is postponing his planned trip to Germany and Angola to remain at the White House and monitor Hurricane Milton, which is descending on the Florida Gulf Coast.

- Simply put, I don't think I can be out of the country at this moment - Biden said, AP reports.

He warned that Milton could be one of the worst storms in 100 years and that he is working to increase the size and presence of the federal government's response.

Biden said that people in the storm's path should listen to local officials and evacuate.

- We regret the decision to postpone the visit, but we naturally understand the current situation in Florida - said a spokesperson for the German government, reacting to the news of the postponement of Biden's visit, who was supposed to arrive in Germany on Thursday.

The White House had previously announced that Biden was postponing his visit to Germany due to the situation in Florida, which is preparing for a second hurricane in a short period.

The statement speaks of a "postponement" but does not specify when Biden, whose term expires in January next year, might visit Germany.

His visit to Angola, which was supposed to follow Germany, has also been postponed.

This was supposed to be Biden's first bilateral visit since taking office in January 2021. He visited Germany as part of the G7 summit in 2022 in Elmau, Germany.

On Saturday, he was supposed to participate in a NATO summit on Ukraine at the US military base Ramstein in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.