President Biden will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House next month, his third in-person visit with a foreign leader in Washington since taking office at the beginning of this year.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced last Friday that Biden would meet with Merkel, who is in her final year as chancellor, on July 15 and that the visit “will affirm the deep bilateral ties between the United States and Germany.”
“The leaders will discuss their commitment to close cooperation on a range of common challenges, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the threat of climate change, and promoting economic prosperity and international security based on our shared democratic values,” Psaki said.
The meeting is also likely to delve into more contentious issues, such as the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Germany. The Biden administration has criticized the pipeline but waived sanctions on the company heading the project earlier this year in what was widely interpreted as a move to avoid tensions with Germany, a U.S. ally.
Merkel will be the first European ally to visit the White House. On separate occasions earlier this year, Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
