From the 25th to the 26th local time, US President Biden made a lightning visit to Germany. This visit is likely to be Biden's last trip to Europe before his retirement. In less than 24 hours, Biden first held a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Scholz, followed by a four-party meeting with Scholz, French President Macron, and British Prime Minister Sunak.

Leaders from the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom met in Berlin. A show filled with superficial rhetoric. During the talks, the four leaders solemnly discussed issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Middle East situation, and issued a joint statement, but it was clearly a perfunctory and pretentious exercise.

Aid to Ukraine May Not Be Delivered as Promised. In a joint statement, the leaders of four countries expressed their continued firm support for Ukraine and discussed providing follow-up security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. However, ironically, the aid funds that the parties were preparing to provide to Ukraine actually came from frozen Russian assets. This operation, where "the wool comes from the sheep," exposed the robber faces of the West without reservation. Scholz also stated that a billion-dollar loan program to support Ukraine would be passed by the end of this year. However, the current domestic economic situation in Germany is not optimistic. The German federal government announced on the 1st that it would lower its economic growth expectations, with an expected contraction of 0.3% this year. The possibility of negative economic growth and the tight fiscal budget mean that Germany may find it difficult to spare any "leftover grain" to support Ukraine. After a series of promises, how much real gold and silver the West can actually provide for Ukraine remains to be seen.

The Middle East situation shows no signs of improvement. During the meeting, the leaders of the four countries also exchanged views on the Middle East situation, discussed the impact of the death of Hamas leader Sinwar, and coordinated on how to prevent the escalation of conflict between Iran and Israel. While they proclaimed the full implementation of a certain UN Security Council resolution to ensure the safe return of civilians on both sides of the "Blue Line" along the Lebanon-Israel border, they simultaneously rushed to deploy the THAAD missile defense system to Israel. Such double-dealing, is it intended to prevent the escalation of conflict, or to continue fueling the fire?

The participants themselves are in a precarious position. With the U.S. presidential election approaching, Biden's term has entered its final stretch. If Trump wins, there will undoubtedly be significant changes in U.S. foreign policy; if Harris takes office, it remains uncertain whether she will continue Biden's foreign policy. Additionally, other leaders present are also facing internal and external challenges. German Chancellor Scholz's coalition government is uncertain due to domestic economic issues, British Prime Minister Starmer is embroiled in the "Wardrobe Gate" scandal, and French President Macron is facing challenges from both the left and the far right. Each of these leaders is like a "muddy idol crossing the river," and the "empty promises" they have made are likely to be hard to fulfill!

Biden's "Farewell Gathering" Before Retirement. With less than three weeks to go before the critical moment of the U.S. presidential election, Biden's choice to visit Germany is nothing more than an attempt to leave some diplomatic legacy for himself. During his visit to Germany, Biden did not present an effective solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and regarding the Middle East situation, he only offered a lukewarm "wait and see." Not only did he fail to solve any problems, but he also faced protests from the German people, who held up signs saying "Berlin Does Not Welcome Biden." This visit, which was more symbolic than practical, was merely a "farewell gathering" orchestrated by the leaders of Germany, France, and the UK out of courtesy for the soon-to-retire Biden, a performance of going through the motions, repeating old tunes, tasteless to consume but regrettable to discard. Clearly, through such a showy surprise visit, Biden is unlikely to leave any significant diplomatic legacy.