Joe Biden touts 'tight' US-Europe alliance ahead of G7 summit and Putin meeting

Joe Biden on June 9 left on the first official foreign trip of his presidency and touted the strong transatlantic alliance ahead of summits with G7, European, and NATO partners, and then a bilateral summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. On his maiden overseas trip to Europe, Biden is scheduled to hold meetings with over a dozen world leaders and discuss issues like COVID-19, the Afghan pull out and the security challenges posed by Russia and China. 

“Strengthening the alliance and make it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight, and the G7 is going to move,” Biden told reporters at Andrews Air force base before boarding the presidential aircraft.

Further, while responding to a question, the US President even indicated that he had a plan for vaccinating the world. On the Russian summit, Biden confirmed that cyberattacks would be a subject of the discussion. Biden will also be meeting UK’s Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and he will then fly to Brussels for summits with the NATO military alliance and the EU, then finish up in Geneva, where he will be meeting Putin. 

Travelling with the president are Jen O’Malley Dillon, Deputy Chief of Staff; Bruce Reed, Deputy Chief of Staff; Mike Donilon, Senior Advisor to the President; Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor; Anthony Bernal, Advisor to the First Lady; Stephen Goepfert Personal Aide to the President and Jordan Montoya, Director of Advance and Trip Director. First Lady Jill Biden also accompanied her husband on his more than a week-long overseas trip as the US president. The visits, at its core, will advance the fundamental thrust of Biden's foreign policy to rally the world's democracies, to tackle the great challenges of the time, National Security Advisor (NSA) Sullivan told reporters. 

Biden’s goal for the first overseas trip 

Sullivan said that Biden at the G7 will join with his fellow leaders to lay out a plan to end the COVID-19 pandemic with further specific commitments towards that end. He will also join his fellow leaders to announce a new initiative to provide financing for physical, digital and health infrastructure in developing a high standard, climate-friendly, transparent and rules-based alternative to what China is offering. Sullivan said that the G-7 leaders will make a number of significant commitments on climate, labour standards, anti-corruption and ransomware. 

“On NATO, President Biden will address enduring security challenges that have been at the core of the alliance for a long-time including Russia and coordinating the remaining period of the drawdown of the forces from Afghanistan. But they will also focus on emerging security challenges to the alliance critically including cyber and the challenge posed by China,” Sullivan said.

(With inputs from PTI)