Economy, crises in focus as Obama heads to Germany

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall at the Royal Agricultural Halls in London April 23, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is set to visit Hanover, Germany on Sunday to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of his closest allies in dealing with a shaky global economy and security crises in the Middle East and Ukraine.

It will be the last stop on a six-day foreign journey where Obama has sought to shore up U.S. alliances he views as key to grow trade, defeat Islamic State militants, and offset Russian aggression in Ukraine and Syria.