Biden and Merkel vowed to work together to defend against Russian aggression and stand up to anti-democratic actions by China, and also spoke to the importance of the US-German alliance. “We stand together and will continue to stand together to defend our eastern flank allies at NATO against Russian aggression,” Biden said during their joint news conference. “I value the friendship,” said Merkel, the first European leader to visit Biden at the White House, highlighting America’s role in building a free and democratic Germany after the second world war. On Thursday evening, Merkel and her husband will attend a dinner hosted by the Bidens at the White House. Guests include US lawmakers, former secretaries of state Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton and the Republican leaders of the US House of Representatives and Senate, the White House said.

Source: The Guardian July 16, 2021 00:00 UTC