US President Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Wednesday to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On Thursday, the two held a meeting, where they discussed the crisis in Ukraine, climate change and the proposed US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) which Trump had vowed to scrap.
"Journalists noted from the outset that Obama's farewell visit to Berlin after Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election was supposed to mainly have a psychotherapeutic component. The current president was expected to calm down his European colleagues, who do not know what to expect from the new US administration," Firsova wrote.
On November 8, Republican candidate Donald Trump won the US presidential election with 290 electoral votes, while his opponent Hillary Clinton received 228. Many Western politicians repeatedly expressed their concerns over Trump's victory, fearing what they call his "unpredictability".
The Syrian conflict and Russia's position on Syria were also among the main topics discussed during the meeting. In particular, Obama stressed that the West is interested in cooperation with Russia, and therefore should maintain dialogue with Moscow.
"My principal approach to Russia has been constant since I first came into office. Russia is an important country. It is a military superpower. It has influence in the region and it has influence around the world. And in order for us to solve many big problems around the world, it is in our interest to work with Russia and obtain their cooperation," Obama said.
Relations between the US and Russia have recently deteriorated amid the situation in Aleppo. The US has repeatedly attempted to downplay the significance of Russia-backed Syrian Army's operation in Aleppo while at the same time glorifying the US coalition's operation in Mosul, Iraq.
