US-Germany, Merkel and Biden relaunch alliance

“We are not only allies and partners, but also nations with close friendships.” Thus Angela Merkel relaunched the alliance between the United States and Germany in the meeting she had with Joe Biden in her last visit as Chancellor to the White House. For his part, Biden thanked Merkel for her leadership and said the partnership between Washington and Berlin will grow stronger thanks to the foundation she helped build. Marking the relaunch of the alliance between Washington and Berlin following the stormy years of Donald Trump’s America First, the two leaders signed the Washington Declaration in which they pledge to “close collaboration to promote peace, security and prosperity throughout. the world “. Merkel and Biden, however, did not fail to emphasize that differences of views remain, in particular regarding the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, now almost completed, which will bring Russian gas to Europe via Germany, bypassing the ‘Ukraine. “If I reiterated my concerns about Nord Stream to Chancellor Merkel, we are absolutely united in the belief that Russia must not be allowed to use energy as a weapon to coerce or threaten its neighbors,” Biden said in the news conference. in recent weeks it has suspended sanctions against the companies involved in the construction of the pipeline to avoid tensions with the German ally. Merkel also acknowledged that the United States and Germany have “different assessments on the nature of the project”, stating however that Germany considers Ukraine a transit country for natural gas. “Our belief was and remains that Ukraine remains a transit country for natural gas,” he said assuring that Germany will act if “Russia does not respect Ukraine’s right to be a transit country”. 16 years at the helm of Germany, Merkel has made over 20 visits to Washington and Biden is the fourth American president she meets since starting her term in 2005. Having developed a close relationship with George Bush and, in particular, with Barack Obama, there have been many tensions with Trump.