The day kicked off with a breakfast at the Vice President’s residence, where Merkel – the first woman to become Chancellor of Germany – met Kamala Harris, the first black woman to become Vice President. Following the meeting with Vice President Harris, Merkel will head to the White House at around 8pm Central European Time (CET) for one-on-one talks with Biden, followed by an early dinner. READ ALSO: Merkel to meet US President Biden in Washington this JulyThe format of Merkel’s diplomatic visit is intended to “convey gratitude,” a senior Biden administration official said. These include the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline which is set to funnel Russian natural gas to Germany. READ ALSO: Merkel calls for new EU-US trade dealBiden has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House later this summer.

Source: The Local July 15, 2021 14:15 UTC