U.S. President Joe Biden is set to travel to Germany next week after postponing a visit due to Hurricane Milton. The trip is scheduled for Friday, October 18, 2024, where Biden will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.
The visit, originally planned as a formal state visit, has been significantly reduced in scope. Biden had intended to spend two and a half days in Germany, including a stop at the Ramstein Air Base for a summit on military aid to Ukraine, which has also been delayed. The meeting was affected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent trip across Europe.
Despite the changes, Steinmeier is expected to award Biden the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for his contributions to German-American friendship. This will mark Biden's first bilateral visit to Germany during his presidency, as previous engagements were not classified as state visits.