Biden visits Belgium, Nice Britain, on his first international journey as President

President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One before leaving Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland on February 5, 2021.

Almond Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

President Joe Biden will make his first overseas tour as President in June when he visits the UK and Belgium for important meetings with allied nations, the White House said Friday.

This news comes amid Biden’s virtual climate summit with world leaders as he advocates reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On Thursday, Biden pledged to cut US emissions by at least 50% by 2030.

The Biden administration has announced that it will reset ties with various allies after President Donald Trump’s often turbulent relations with other nations. Trump criticized other NATO nations, saying they were not paying their fair share of defense spending.

Biden will begin his journey at the G7 summit in Cornwall, UK, where he will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders such as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This summit will take place from June 11th to 13th.

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The president will work to “advance major US political priorities on public health, economic recovery and climate change, and to demonstrate solidarity and shared values ​​among major democracies,” the White House statement said.

Biden will then travel to Brussels to attend NATO and US-EU meetings, where he will continue to advance American interests. The NATO meeting is scheduled for June 14th.

One topic for the NATO discussion could be the recent escalation of the Russian troop presence on the border with Ukraine to its highest level since 2014. However, Russia on Thursday ordered these troops to return to their home bases after a so-called “rapid inspection”.

Another possible point of discussion could be the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan, where the alliance’s non-combat Resolute Support Mission has been helping Afghan troops since 2015.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said more details about Biden’s trip would come, “including potential additional items”.