Merkel and Biden to chart a course for the future of US-German relations in White House meeting

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are set to meet in Washington on Thursday in what is likely the European leader's final appearance at the White House before she steps down from her long-held position this fall.

The ongoing dispute between the United States and Germany over a Russian gas pipeline, called Nord Stream 2, is expected to play out between the two leaders in the Oval Office on Thursday, according to senior administration officials. Climate change, Covid-19 vaccines, Russian cyber attacks, Ukraine and shoring up their democracies are also topics on the agenda, an official said. The visit comes just three months before Merkel leaves her role as chancellor of Germany in October, after having served in the position for more than 15 years. Elections to replace the "chancellor of the free world" are in September.