Almost five months after coming to power, Joe Biden arrived in the United Kingdom on Wednesday 9 June, the first stop on a European tour, during which he intends to insist on the firmness of the transatlantic alliance in view of his face-to-face -face with Vladimir Poutine, which will take place in Geneva on June 16.
The US president said on Wednesday that the United States was ” back “. “The United States in back! “Joe Biden said in front of members of the US Air Force at Mildenhall Air Base in the south-east of the United Kingdom. “And democracies around the world are united to face the most difficult challenges”, he added, stressing that he wanted to meet Mr. Putin to “Tell him what I want him to know”.
“I know that democracies can come together to meet the challenges of this new era, this week in Europe, we have the opportunity to prove it”, had tweeted the American president during his flight aboard Air Force One, for his first trip abroad since coming to power.
I’m on my way to the UK and Europe today for the first foreign trip of my presidency. I know that democracies can … https://t.co/sVt4wy4mXp
Just before take off on the plane Air Force One, the American president had assured that the purpose of his trip was to let people know “Clearly to Putin and China that the United States and Europe [étaient] welded “.
A tête-à-tête with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled for Thursday, June 10. Accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden, the Democratic leader will participate from Friday to Sunday at the G7 summit in Cornwall (south-west of England), during which the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate will be among the priorities.
“My trip to Europe is an opportunity for America to mobilize democracies around the world”, assured the one who claims since coming to power that, despite the orientations of his predecessor, Donald Trump, the United States intends to become fully involved in world affairs.
Before joining Brussels, to participate in the NATO summit, Joe Biden will visit on Sunday June 13 Queen Elizabeth II – who has reigned for sixty-nine years – at Windsor Castle.
Also on the tarmac at the Andrews military base, in the suburbs of Washington, Joe Biden added that he planned to unveil a global vaccine strategy soon. Strongly criticized for having delayed in sharing its vaccines against Covid-19 with the rest of the world, the White House is now trying to take the lead on this issue. “The United States is determined to work on international vaccination with the same sense of urgency that we have shown in our country”, hammered the American president.
The United States is trying to be a leader in vaccines
The United States will purchase 500 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine to donate to other countries, the New York Times and the Washington post. US President Joe Biden is due to make the announcement at the G7 summit this week, according to the Washington post. The first 200 million doses will be distributed this year, and the other 300 million in 2022, according to the New York Times.
The Biden administration had already announced that it would donate 80 million doses of Covid vaccine to foreign countries by the end of June. Earlier this month, Washington said 75% of those doses would be distributed through the Covax sharing scheme, set up to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, especially to low-income countries.
Strongly criticized in recent months for having delayed sharing their vaccines with the rest of the world, the White House is now trying to take the lead on this issue.
Difficult talks ahead with Putin
The summit scheduled for Wednesday, June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, with Vladimir Putin will finally be the culmination of this first trip, which comes at a time when Joe Biden is in difficulty in his country, against a backdrop of tensions within his own camp. Ukraine, Belarus, fate of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny imprisoned, cyberattacks: the discussions promise to be bitter and difficult, especially on this last point. The question “ cyber “ will be “A subject of our discussion”, Joe Biden assured Wednesday before his departure.
Regarding Russia, the White House, which alternates conciliatory messages and warnings, repeats that it has modest expectations. The only objective put forward: to make relations between the two countries more “Stable and predictable”.
The American presidency has given few details about the conduct of this tête-à-tête. She only hinted that, unlike what happened with Donald Trump in Helsinki in 2018, a joint press conference between the two men was not on the agenda.
