US President Joe Biden will travel to the UK and the EU in June for his first overseas trip, the White House said on Friday.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the trip aims to “highlight his commitment to restoring our alliances, revitalising the transatlantic relationship, and working in close co-operation with our allies”.
Mr Biden will attend the G7 summit in Cornwall, England, set for June 11 to 13, followed by a visit to Brussels, where he will hold meetings with European Union leadership and attend the June 14 Nato Leaders Summit.
“While in Brussels, President Biden will participate in a US – EU Summit, which will underscore our commitment to a strong transatlantic partnership based on shared interests and values,” Ms Psaki said.
“The leaders will discuss a common agenda to ensure global health security, stimulate global economic recovery, tackle climate change, enhance digital and trade co-operation, strengthen democracy and address mutual foreign policy concerns.”
The meetings with the country’s closest allies come after Mr Biden invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to a summit in the coming months in a third country, though no date has yet been set.
Recent American presidents selected North American neighbours for their first cross-border trips, though former president Donald Trump, whose penchant for unilateral action and open scepticism of the Nato alliance unsettled American allies, made his first overseas stop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she was looking forward to Mr Biden’s trip, saying, “We have much to do together.”
Together with @eucopresident Michel, I will be happy to greet US @POTUS Biden in Brussels for the EU-US summit on his next trip to Europe in June 2021.
We have much to do together, from climate change to health, from trade and multilateralism to geopolitical challenges.
