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Focus on our common goals: Foreign Minister Wadephul travels to the United States
Capitol, Washington DC © imageBROKER
Germany and the United States are linked by a close, long-standing partnership. Foreign Minister Wadephul is now travelling to Washington, DC at the invitation of his American colleague, Marco Rubio. More information on his visit is available here.
It’s an eight-hour flight from Berlin to Washington, DC – the journey across the Atlantic to the east coast of the United States is a long one. And anyone heading for Texas or California will be on the go for much longer. And yet relations between the United States and Germany could scarcely be closer: families with relatives on both sides of the Atlantic, German and American soldiers training together, vibrant cooperation in science and research, economic exchange, art and cultural projects – these are all elements of day-to-day transatlantic relations.
And what is true of civil society is also true of political decision-makers: close coordination takes place at this level – and that is important in these internationally challenging times. The two chief diplomats talked on the fringes of the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Antalya in mid-May. At the invitation of his US colleague, Foreign Minister Wadephul is today travelling to the United States for his first official visit.
Speaking prior to his departure, Foreign Minister Wadephul talked about the profound ties between Germany and the United States:
There is virtually no other country to which we Germans owe more than to the United States of America. The fact that we can live in freedom and prosperity in Germany today, as part of a strong European family, is in part the result of the United States’ forward-looking peace policy following the end of the Second World War 80 years ago. Freedom, prosperity and security: these are the goals by which I am guided as Foreign Minister. And here we know that we share these goals with the United States of America.
Close coordination in geopolitically difficult times
Foreign Minister Wadephul’s trip is taking place in geopolitically challenging times. For while Ukraine is making peace offers and endeavouring to enter into negotiations, Putin is responding with brute force: just this past weekend, Russia again bombarded Ukraine with missile and drone attacks. In recent weeks, as part of its peace diplomacy, the United States in particular has been working towards ensuring that the war in the heart of Europe finally comes to an end. Foreign Minister Wadephul will pick up on these efforts during his visit to Washington, DC.
He issued the following statement prior to his departure:
We want to end the deaths in Ukraine at last; we want an immediate ceasefire; and we want a lasting peace. We have to keep up the pressure so that Putin will at last come to the negotiating table, so that Russia will at last enter into serious negotiations. We Europeans will tighten sanctions further, and the US Congress is ready to impose more sanctions as well.
Another important item on the agenda is trade relations between the EU and the United States. Foreign Minister Wadephul will seek to strengthen the transatlantic economic area – and not to unsettle companies with new tariff barriers. For it is clear that the close economic relations between Germany and the United States create jobs in both countries. In 2024, for the first time in nine years, the United States again became Germany’s most important trading partner worldwide. German companies provide jobs for almost a million Americans, making German industry the third largest foreign employer in the United States.
The talks in Washington, DC will also cover the conflict in the Middle East. During his recent trip to Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Wadephul underlined Germany’s solidarity with the State of Israel – at the same time making it clear that the conflict in Gaza cannot be resolved for the long term using military means. There is an urgent need for a breakthrough in the negotiations on a ceasefire that will lead to the release of the hostages and a massive increase in humanitarian assistance. Germany is convinced that a negotiated two-state solution offers the best chance of lasting peace in the region. However, the reconstruction of the destroyed Gaza Strip – without Hamas – will require huge efforts. Germany has repeatedly emphasised that the Arab partners’ reconstruction plan is a good starting-point here.