HANOVER: Barack Obama will set out his vision of relations with Europe with a speech in the northern German city of Hanover on Monday, trying to frame a relationship that has been less than easy throughout his presidency.
With the end of his administration in sight, Obama will stress the issues that Europe and America have tackled together, from Syria to trade, Iraq to climate change.
Obama started his presidency with Europeans reveling in a less hardline approach to foreign policy than they saw under his predecessor George Bush.
Since then Obama's star has dimmed, but aides see the speech as an opportunity to reflect his 2008 speech in Berlin, when as a presidential candidate he described a need for a self-sustaining partnership.
Obama has pressed allies on the need for European powers to bolster their own defence operations, which still shelter under a US umbrella.
"(The) speech will be an opportunity to discuss joint US-European efforts to confront a range of challenges, including countering ISIL, the current refugee crisis, Ukraine, and the headwinds in the global economy," said a US official.
"The president will discuss the progress made on these issues over the past few years, and outline the additional work to be done moving forward."
Turning to Syria, Obama will announce he will send up to 250 more troops to the country to augment the train and assist mission, according to a senior administration official.
That announcement comes as European allies, including his host Angela Merkel, scramble to try and limit the refugee flow into Europe and blood flow in Syria.
US troops in Syria are mandated to advise and assist Syrian rebel and anti-Islamic State forces.
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