Leaders of the world's most industrialized economies meet once a year in this G7 summit. This year it would be in England on June 11-13, and the U.S. President Joe Biden would attend it. It would be his first overseas trip after taking over the reins of the presidency.
USA Today says the President would use this opportunity to meet fellow G7 leaders like British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Subsequently, he would travel to Brussels. There he would conduct meetings with leaders of the European Union. He would also attend the June 14 summit of leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO.
The White House says the trip would highlight the commitment of Biden to restore the confidence of the allies. In the 2018 G7 summit, former U.S. President Donald Trump had upset the allies by ditching the world leaders and meeting Kim Jong-un.
Joe Biden wants to regain the confidence of the leaders at the G7 summit
The U.S. President has a tough task on hand during his first overseas tour. It will begin with the G7 summit because he would have to repair the damages of the past. During the G7 summit in Canada in 2018, Donald Trump said he felt plastic pollution was a non-issue.
Obviously, Joe Biden would have to redefine the priorities and smooth the ruffled feathers of many. He is now the President of the United States and has to rely on the allies to extend support as and when required.
They must always be tuned to the same frequency.
USA Today adds that in Belgium, the U.S. President would reaffirm the United States' commitment to NATO. The White House says these would cover matters related to transatlantic security and collective defense. The agenda could include discussions on future threats and ensuring effective burden-sharing.
Other possible points could be on a wide range of topics like global health security, global economic recovery, and climate change. They could also discuss strengthening democracy and addressing mutual foreign policy concerns.
The G7 summit in Cornwall
According to Sky News, the forthcoming trip of Joe Biden to the United Kingdom and Belgium in June would be his first overseas trip as President.
The purpose of the visit would be to attend the G7 Summit in Cornwall. It would also highlight the commitment of America to restore its alliances apart from revitalizing the trans-Atlantic relationship.
A bilateral meeting with Boris Johnson and other G7 leaders is also on the cards. The Prime Minister has invited Australia, India, and South Korea to participate as guests. They are not G7 members.
Apart from the G7 summit, Biden would attend a NATO summit
From Britain, Biden would head to Brussels, where he would attend a NATO summit. Sky News reports that the announcement from the White House came as the President concluded hosting a virtual summit on climate change. It was to show that the United States is worried about the environment.
He even committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to half by 2030. The intention was to let the world know that times have changed and so have priorities. Biden wants to mend the strained relations with Europe. In 2019, the UK ambassador left America after leakage of sensitive information about Donald Trump.
The relation between former President Trump and President Emmanuel Macron of France was on shaky ground, as was the relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. Russia’s announcement of troop pullout from the border with Ukraine is likely to feature in the NATO summit.
Russia had annexed Crimea in 2014, and there has been tension in the region since then as fighting continues between Ukraine and the militias. A Boeing 737-800 of Ukraine Airlines crashed soon after takeoff from Tehran, and there were doubts on whether it fell to a missile strike.
