Biden, Biden’s predecessor, said Donald Trump had not seen much in international consultations, but the United States was back on the table, on his first foreign trip as head of state. He described the duty of NATO countries to help each other in the event of a holy attack.
Biden says democracies are competing with authoritarian states such as China and Russia. According to him, the question is whether democratic countries are able to cope with competition. Biden wants to work with China if at all possible, but also respond firmly if something doesn’t work for him.
He said he shares President Vladimir Putin’s analysis that US-Russian relations are at an all-time low. Biden accused Putin of systematically violating international norms. The two will meet in Switzerland on Wednesday, and Biden confirmed that he would firmly tell his counterpart the truth.
billion vaccines
“We will harness the power of democracy, freedom, equality, the rule of law and human rights to answer the biggest questions and overcome the biggest challenges,” said the leaders of the Group of Seven and the European Union. They have promised to direct more than a billion doses of the vaccine to poor countries, although critics say that is too little.
In the fight against climate change, there will also be additional support for the less affluent countries to transition to a cleaner economy, just like the green industrial revolution that the G7 countries envision for themselves. For example, new support projects for polluting coal activities must be completed by the end of this year. Biden promised that the United States would lead the way.
Leaders also want to rein in intelligent profit shifting in order to pay as little taxes as possible around the world. Finally, they called for more research into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, a move likely to anger China.
The G7 consists of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada. European Union leaders also attend the meetings.
