“Good friends don’t have to agree”

This scene alone is rare. Kamala Harris, the first American female vice president, stands in front of her residence in Washington and welcomes Angela Merkel, who was elected German Chancellor 16 years ago. Merkel, in one of her typical signal-colored blazers – today it is sunny yellow – Harris, as usually in a dark blue trouser suit. Two women who have shown that glass ceilings can be broken through. That alone connects.

Angela Merkel is the first head of government to meet Harris in her residence, the Naval Observatory in the green northwest of the American capital. With “Let’s have breakfast”, the Vice President guides the Chancellor into her house.

This Washington trip, to which Merkel arrived on Wednesday evening (local time), will probably be her last. At least in the office of the Federal Chancellor. For three years she avoided the American capital, the last meeting with then President Donald Trump aroused little desire for more. Germany and Merkel always had a special place on Trump’s list of attacks.

Just a polite gesture?

The fact that the Chancellor is coming here again a few months before the end of her term of office could simply be described as a farewell visit, a polite gesture by a new president to a “lame duck”, whose reputation in America is almost unusually high. According to the polling institute Pew, six out of ten Americans currently have confidence in Merkel.

After all, Joe Biden is already the fourth US President to receive them in the White House. The two have known each other since his time as Barack Obama’s vice president, they appreciate each other, and Biden has promised to quickly repair the relationship that was torn under Trump.

So there are harmonious pictures with Biden and Harris and awe-inspiring words in view of the sheer length of Merkel’s tenure, plus an honorary doctorate, a dinner for all married couples. At the greeting in the White House, Biden says that he appreciates Merkel very much, that she is a “friend” – a personal one and one of the USA. And she reciprocates with the statement: “I really appreciate this friendship. I know what America has done for the history of a free and democratic Germany. “

And yet: Officially, it is said that it is a “working visit”. The list of acute problems is long, and time is of the essence. A power vacuum in one of the most important partner countries, which is first supposed to find a new government, would be extremely inconvenient for the White House. And in the USA, the congressional mid-term elections in 2022 are already casting their shadows.

Therefore, Berlin and Washington are trying to tick off one or the other topic in the remaining weeks of the Merkel era. As much as Merkel may be annoyed, who would rather see this issue as a European rather than a purely German problem, the dispute over the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2, which makes the USA too dependent on Europe on Russia, is particularly urgent Fear energy supplies.

A big controversial topic: Nord Stream 2

Although Biden himself describes the pipeline as a “bad deal”, he wants to prevent the tension in this regard from burdening the longed-for restart. Therefore, weeks ago, the president had already made advance payments by suspending new sanctions against the operating company and its German managing director. Since then, we have been waiting to see what ideas Berlin has on how negative consequences for Ukraine can be prevented after the pipeline has gone into operation.

The negotiations are intense, and there should be a clear rapprochement in the talks – but Biden and Merkel were unable to announce a breakthrough on Thursday evening. One agrees that one disagrees.

“Good friends do not have to agree,” said Biden at the press conference after the meeting in the White House. And that he had again expressed his concerns about the pipeline to Merkel. The USA and Germany agreed to support Ukraine in reforms and with a view to its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Merkel, on the other hand, emphasizes that Nord Stream 2 is an additional project and not an alternative to gas transit through Ukraine. The Chancellor mentioned a “multitude of instruments” that would be available if Russia does not honor Ukraine’s right to gas transit. It won’t be any more precise on Thursday. It is said that a solution is still being worked on.

There is great opposition in Congress

The problem is anyway: In the congress, in which the idea of ​​stopping the project in the last few meters has many supporters, there is a risk of great resistance – regardless of which solution could be negotiated internationally.

The Texan Senator Ted Cruz already called the waiver of sanctions a serious geopolitical mistake that will strengthen Russia at the expense of the West. For the Republicans, the smoldering dispute is also an opportunity to further delay the confirmation of important personal details of the new government, for example in embassies.

There was also no clear breakthrough with the American entry ban for Europeans that has been in place since March 2020 due to the pandemic. So far, the Biden government has shown little hurry to repeal the “Travelban”, although criticism from companies, for example, is growing.

There could be news soon at Travelban

When asked how the US government justified this, while people could enter via Turkey, where the number of new cases is seven times as high, Biden promised on Thursday at least that he would be able to clarify this soon. Merkel raised the issue, he says. And that the question of how soon the travel restrictions can be lifted is currently being discussed.

He will be able to answer the question in the coming days, says Biden. “I’ll hear from our people in our Covid team when this should happen.”

Merkel adds that the “new challenge” posed by the Delta variant of the virus was also discussed above all. It is important to make a sustainable decision that will not be taken back after a short time.

In Berlin, the hesitant behavior is explained by internal American considerations: You can no longer enter the country by land from the neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico. If the Travelban were to be loosened for travelers from the Schengen area, it would be difficult to argue why the border with Mexico, for example, should remain tight.

The Merkel visit achieved its most important goal without any major breakthroughs: Germany is once again an important partner for America.

For a few weeks now, political visitors from Berlin have almost been giving each other a hand in Washington. They all want to be part of the restart of the relationship that was battered under Trump.

Personal exchanges with partners in the White House, the State Department or Congress had not been possible for around a year and a half due to the pandemic. Under Trump, maintaining contacts had also been rather difficult for many transatlantic people.

That changed again with the Biden administration, and dramatically. One visitor after the other emphasizes how friendly the atmosphere is, how constructive the meetings were and how great the will is to tackle problems collectively.

Everyone wants to know from the visitors: What’s next?

Economics minister Peter Altmaier (CDU), finance minister and SPD candidate for chancellor Olaf Scholz and defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) have already visited. Everyone is also confronted with the question of what will happen to Merkel after 16 years.

The respect for Germany and its Chancellor is also shown by the honorary doctorate from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, which Merkel was awarded at midday as a “global leader of unparalleled determination and integrity” . Honorary doctorate.

When she was honored at Harvard two years ago, many hailed her as the leader of the free world, as an antithesis to Trump. Biden now has to deal with his legacy – and hope that Merkel’s successor will also help. When asked when he would visit Berlin for his part, the President replied: “Soon, I hope.”