Biden urges allies to hold the line on Ukraine ahead of winter

President Joe Biden warned that Ukraine faces “a very difficult winter” and urged America’s allies to maintain their support for the government in Kyiv.

Speaking Friday in Berlin after receiving Germany’s highest honor from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Biden commended Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government for pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “vicious attack” and for helping Ukraine “fight for freedom, democracy and their very survival.”

“We cannot let up, we must sustain our support,” Biden said. “In my view, we must keep going until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace consistent with the U.N. charter, until once again human dignity prevails.”

Biden, making his first trip abroad since pulling out of the U.S. presidential race in July, and Scholz will hold talks at the chancellery later on Friday before meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The four leaders will discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for additional assistance – including membership in the NATO alliance – as well as the conflict in the Middle East and global trade.

The visit comes with just over two weeks left until the U.S. election, with Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, locked in a close battle with former President Donald Trump.

Biden had originally planned to host a broader meeting of Ukrainian allies last week at the U.S. Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, but that trip was postponed due to Hurricane Milton.