Biden set to make maiden foreign trip in June to UK and Belgium
President Joe Biden will embark upon his first foreign trip in June, the White House said on Friday, with plans to attend the Group of 7 summit in southwestern England and diplomatic meetings in Brussels.
Biden hasn’t yet ventured outside the United States since becoming president, as Covid-19 limited travel overseas. Typically, new presidents begin foreign travel a few months into office.
But as vaccinations ramp up in the US and abroad, aides are laying plans for Biden to leave the country.
This year’s G7 summit is hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and will be held along the Cornish coast. Biden has engaged with the other leaders in the group by telephone, in virtual meetings and in one in-person visit with Japan’s prime minister. But the summit will be his first time greeting them all together in person.
In its announcement, the White House said Biden at the summit would “reinforce our commitment to multilateralism, work to advance key U.S. policy priorities on public health, economic recovery, and climate change, and demonstrate solidarity and shared values among major democracies.”
He’ll also meet independently with Johnson and some of the other G7 countries, which include the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
In Brussels, Biden plans to attend a NATO summit, which the defense alliance formally announced on Thursday. He’ll also participate in a summit with leaders from the European Union, also headquartered in the Belgian capital.
“This trip will highlight his commitment to restoring our alliances, revitalizing the Transatlantic relationship, and working in close cooperation with our allies and multilateral partners to address global challenges and better secure America’s interests,” the White House said.
Not on the schedule, at least for now, is a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Biden has invited for talks this summer in Europe.
Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed the prospective summit with his Russian counterpart this week but told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that details like the date, location and agenda had yet to be settled.
In its statement announcing Biden’s trip, the White House said “potential additional elements” could be tacked on later.
