President Joe Biden’s first overseas trip will include visits to the United Kingdom and the Belgian capital of Brussels, the White House announced Friday (April 23).
In the United Kingdom, Biden will attend the June 11-13 summit of the Group of Seven (G7), which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. During his visit to Brussels, Belgium, Biden will attend the NATO summit.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, “These trips will underscore his commitment to restoring our alliances, reinvigorating transatlantic relations, and working closely with our allies and multilateral partners to address global challenges and better safeguard U.S. interests.”
The White House said Biden’s participation in the G-7 meeting will “reinforce our commitment to multilateralism” by advancing U.S. policy on climate change, economic recovery and other issues. While there, Biden will meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other G-7 leaders.
Afterward, Biden and “NATO leaders will discuss how to adapt the alliance to future threats and ensure effective responsibility sharing,” Psaki said.
“The president will also hold bilateral meetings with other NATO leaders.” Psaki said.
In addition to climate change and economic recovery, Biden and NATO will “discuss a common agenda for ensuring global health security” and will “address common foreign policy concerns.
The White House did not provide more specific details about Biden’s trip.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s first overseas trip since taking office was to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2017, where he met with the kingdom’s leaders, including King Salman.
With the exception of Biden and Trump, most recent U.S. presidents have chosen North American countries such as Canada or Mexico for their first cross-border trips.
This week, the U.S. stepped up travel warnings for much of the world due to the Communist virus (coronavirus) pandemic. Both the United Kingdom and Belgium have been placed on the fourth and highest level of “Do Not Travel” warnings by the U.S. State Department.
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