On his first international trip as president, Biden arrives in Europe and talks about “the return of the United States” | Scientist

“Let’s make it clear that the United States is back and that the world’s democracies are united to face the toughest challenges,” Biden said in a speech to US forces stationed at the British air base in Mildenhall, where Air Force One, Air Force One: Landed moments before from Washington.

With a resolute defense of democracy against authoritarianism, and a call for consensus and cooperation, Biden said he is “committed to leading strongly, defending our values ​​and respecting our people.”

The US president warned Russia that although the US does not seek conflict, it will respond firmly to any kind of attack. The highlight of Biden’s first trip will be the meeting in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for the 16th day.

But first, he held a bilateral meeting on Thursday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, before attending on Friday and Sunday. G7 Summit in Cornwall, in southwest England, where climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic will be among the priorities to be discussed.

According to the “New York Times” and “Washington Post”, Biden He is expected to announce at the event that the United States will purchase 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for distribution to other countries..

The White House is under much criticism for delays in sharing vaccines with the world, and is now trying to take the lead on the issue. The United States pledged to work on international immunization The same sense of urgency that appears at homeBiden stated.

On Sunday, after the G7 meeting, Queen Elizabeth II will receive Biden at Windsor Castle. After that, he will head to Belgium, where he will hold several bilateral meetings.

Biden, who has reiterated since his inauguration that “my trip to Europe is an opportunity for the United States to mobilize the democracies of the world,” stated that “the United States is back” (“America is back”) and intends to participate actively in the international sphere.

After Donald Trump’s term in office, “allies will receive reassuring words with little skepticism,” says Susan Maloney of the Washington-based Brookings Institution Study. Biden’s will To reconnect with them, you will have to overcome not only the scars of the past four yearsBut also questions about the health of American democracy.”

“The purpose of the trip is to make it clear to Putin and China that Europe and the United States are close allies,” the US president said.

“He’s been preparing for this for 50 years,” his spokeswoman Jen Basaki said, referring to the long political career of the 78-year-old president, who was first elected to the Senate in 1972. “He knows some of those.” leaders Including President Putin, for decades“, Completed.

With issues such as Ukraine and Belarus, the fate of detained Russian opponent Alexei Navalny and cyber attacks, the Biden-Putin argument should be tough. Biden said before embarking on the trip that cybersecurity would be “the topic of our discussion.”

The White House, exchanging conciliatory messages and warnings, insists its expectations are modest. The only expected goal is to make relations between the two countries “more stable and predictable”.

“The problem is that Putin does not necessarily want a more stable and predictable relationship,” says Alexander Vershbow, a former US diplomat. The US presidency revealed few details about the meeting with the Russian president. He only hinted that, unlike what happened to Trump in Helsinki in 2018, the joint press conference is not on the agenda.