德国总理安格拉·默克尔星期四访问白宫，与美国总统拜登举行会谈。
两位领导人在椭圆形办公室举行了一次会议，随后参加了联合新闻发布会，并在会上发表了讲话新冠肺炎(新型冠状病毒肺炎)旅行禁令、与中国和俄罗斯的关系、古巴的抗议活动、拜登的“重建得更好”议程等等。
关于古巴，拜登说，“共产主义是一个失败的体系，一个普遍失败的体系。我不认为社会主义是非常有用的替代品，但那是另一回事。”
“我们站在一起，我们将继续站在一起，保卫我们在北约的东翼盟友免受俄罗斯的侵略，”普雷斯说。拜登在与德国总理默克尔的联合新闻发布会上说。https://t.co/5uofxavjtJpic.twitter.com/cz8lqCGmfg
—美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2021年7月15日
新闻发布会后，拜登和默克尔与多位领导人共进晚餐。副总统卡玛拉•哈里斯、众议院少数党领袖凯文·麦卡锡、参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔、前国务卿科林·鲍威尔、前民主党总统候选人希拉里·克林顿和新泽西州州长菲尔·墨菲都将出席。
在决定不再寻求连任后，她的访问可能标志着与拜登的告别，并为这些长期相识的人和合作伙伴提供了一个重申这一承诺的机会强大的美德债券面对全球性的挑战，例如冠状病毒流行病和不断上升的专制影响。
一名政府高级官员在会议前表示:“默克尔总理一直是美国真正的朋友，是跨大西洋多边合作伙伴关系的坚定倡导者，也是我们共同优先事项的坚定倡导者。“在他们的会晤中，我预计拜登总统将对她在欧洲和世界各地发挥的领导作用表示感谢，因为她准备在今年9月德国大选后离开德国政治舞台。”
此次访问也是两人在默克尔任期结束前讨论一些关注领域的机会。
默克尔在华盛顿开始了她的一天，与副总统共进早餐，然后在白宫与拜登一起参加一对一和更大规模的小组会议。邀请她参加晚宴的是“一群长期以来一直是她坚定支持者的人德国和双边关系，这将进一步表明我们两国之间密切和持续的关系，”一名高级政府官员在总理访问前表示。
尽管受到热烈欢迎，挑战依然存在。
两国之间的一个症结是北溪2号，这是一条直接输送天然气的管道俄罗斯，下波罗的海并进入德国。拜登和国会中的许多共和党人都反对这条管道，因为它可能会增加俄罗斯在欧洲的影响力，并加强对能源储备的控制。这条管道可能会剥夺乌克兰等其他国家急需的石油收入，一些专家担心，俄罗斯可能会采取报复行动，切断对某些国家的天然气供应。
拜登在5月份解除了美国对帮助修建这条管道的公司的制裁，以此作为对欧洲盟友的善意姿态，他努力让这些公司加入他对俄罗斯的强硬政策，并默认美国的制裁最终未能阻止建设。包括内布拉斯加州参议员本·萨斯在内的一些共和党人批评了这一举措。
萨塞说:“我们没有把普京当成一个害怕自己人民的歹徒，而是把他珍藏的北溪2号管道交给了他，并通过一次峰会使他的行为合法化。
这是拜登和默克尔周四讨论的话题。
拜登在会晤后的讲话中表示:“虽然我重申了我对北溪2号的担忧，但默克尔总理和我绝对团结一致，坚信绝不能允许俄罗斯将能源作为胁迫或威胁邻国的武器。
“我对Nord Stream 2的看法已经知道一段时间了，好朋友可以不同意，”他后来补充道。“但当我成为总统时，已经完成了90%。实施制裁似乎没有任何意义。更有意义的做法是，根据俄罗斯是否试图以某种方式对乌克兰进行实质讹诈，与总理合作，找出她将如何进行。”
总统表示，他和默克尔要求他们的团队研究在能源安全问题上可以共同采取的“实际措施”。
这位官员还预览了一份所谓的《华盛顿宣言》，“该宣言将概述他们应对政策挑战的共同合作愿景”，并为未来几年提供指导原则，即使默克尔的继任者掌权也是如此。这位官员还预计将宣布一项气候和能源合作计划，不过他们没有提供进一步的细节。
两位领导人的另一个不同之处是中国日益增长的全球影响力。虽然拜登将中国视为必须遏制的竞争对手，但默克尔对崛起中的中国更加友好，认为他们的成功和两国之间平衡的贸易关系将有利于德国。
默克尔周四承认，两国在一些领域存在分歧，但强调在中国问题上存在合作和竞争的领域。
“我认为，基本上，我们与中国打交道的规则应该以我们的共同价值观为基础，”她说。
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits White House before leaving office
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden.
The two leaders held a meeting in the Oval Office before participating in a joint press conference in which they addressedCOVID-19travel bans, relations with China and Russia, protests in Cuba, Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda and more.
On Cuba, Biden said, "Communism is a failed system, a universally failed system. And I don't see socialism as a very useful substitute, but that's another story."
"We stand together and we'll continue to stand together to defend our eastern flank allies at NATO against Russian aggression," Pres. Biden says during joint news conference with German Chancellor Merkel.https://t.co/5uofxavjtJpic.twitter.com/cz8lqCGmfg
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)July 15, 2021
Following the press conference, Biden and Merkel were having dinner with a variety of leaders. Vice President Kamala Harris, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Democratic nominee for president Hillary Clinton and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were slated to attend.
After deciding not to seek another term in office, her trip likely marks a farewell to Biden and served as a chance for the longtime acquaintances and partners to reaffirm thestrong U.S.-Germany bondin the face of global challenges, such as thecoronaviruspandemic and rising autocratic influences.
"Chancellor Merkel has been a true friend to the United States, a strong advocate for the transatlantic partnership for multilateral cooperation, as well as for our shared priorities," a senior administration official said ahead of the meeting. "In their meeting, I expect that President Biden will convey gratitude for her leadership role, in Europe and around the world, as she prepares to depart the German political stage, following their elections this September."
The visit has also been an opportunity for the pair to hash out some areas of concern before Merkel's tenure ends.
Merkel kicked off her day in Washington having breakfast with the vice president and then attending both a one-on-one and a larger group meeting at the White House with Biden. And invited to the dinner for her were "a range of individuals who have long been strong supporters ofGermanyand the bilateral relationship, which will further demonstrate the close and continuing ties between our countries," a senior administration official said ahead of the chancellor's visit.
Despite the warm welcome, challenges remain.
One sticking point between the two countries is Nord Stream 2, a pipeline to move gas directly fromRussia, under the Baltic Sea and into Germany. Biden is opposed to the pipeline, as are many Republicans in Congress, because it could give Russia increased influence in Europe and more control over energy reserves. The pipeline will likely deprive other countries, such as Ukraine, of badly-needed oil revenues and some experts fear Russia could shut off the gas supply to certain countries in retaliatory moves.
Biden lifted U.S. sanctions on companies helping to build the pipeline in May as a goodwill gesture to European allies, as he worked to get them on board with his tough-on-Russia policies and in a tacit admission that U.S. sanctions ultimately failed to halt construction. That was a move some Republicans, including Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, criticized.
"Instead of treating Putin like a gangster who fears his own people, we're giving him his treasured Nord Stream 2 pipeline and legitimizing his actions with a summit," Sasse said.
It's a topic Biden and Merkel discussed on Thursday.
"While I reiterated my concerns about Nord Stream 2, Chancellor Merkel and I are absolutely united in our conviction that Russia must not be allowed to use energy as a weapon to coerce or threaten its neighbors," Biden said in his remarks after their meeting.
"My view on Nord Stream 2 has been known for some time, good friends can disagree," he added later. "But by the time I became president, it was 90% completed. And imposing sanctions did not seem to make any sense. It made more sense to work with the chancellor on finding out how she'd proceed based on whether or not Russia tried to essentially blackmail Ukraine in some way."
The president said he and Merkel asked their teams to look into "practical measures" they could take together on the issue of energy security.
The official also previewed a so-called Washington Declaration, "which will outline their common vision for cooperation to confront policy challenges," and provide guiding principles for years ahead, even as Merkel's successor takes the helm. The official also anticipated a climate and energy partnership to be announced, though they provided no further details on what that will look like.
Another area of difference between the two leaders is China's rising global influence. While Biden has seen China as a competitor that must be curtailed, Merkel is friendlier towards a rising China, believing their success and a balanced trade relationship between the two countries, will benefit Germany.
Merkel on Thursday acknowledged there were areas where the two countries diverged, but stressed that there are areas of cooperation and competition when it comes to China.
"I think basically, the rules as to how we deal with China ought to rest and do rest on our shared values," she said.
