Biden: World is at inflection point where democracy must prevail
Plymouth, United Kingdom, Jun 9 (EFE).- US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that the world is at an historic inflection point where democracies must prevail against authoritarianism, his remarks coming during a speech to US troops at the Royal Air Force base in Mildenhall, after he arrived in the United Kingdom Minutes after landing in Air Force One, Biden addressed the US soldiers stationed at the base, giving a speech with patriotic overtones in which he also spoke about the objectives of his first international trip since taking office, a trip that will take him to the UK, Brussels and Geneva.
Biden said he was proud to be with the US troops on his first foreign trip since becoming president.
“We’re going to make it clear that the United States is back and democracies are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and issues that matter the most to our future,” he said. “That we’re committed to leading with strength, defending our values and delivering for our people.”
In Geneva, the US leader is scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and along those lines he confirmed at Mildenhall that Washington is not seeking conflict with Moscow but rather wants a predictable relationship.
He added that he intends to achieve “strategic stability” with Russia and to maintain the prevailing bilateral arms control treaties.
Even so, Biden warned that his administration will respond firmly and decisively if the Kremlin initiates a conflict, adding that there will be consequences if the sovereignty of democracies in the US and Europe is violated.
He said at the air base, to cheers from the military audience, that he aims to “let (Putin) know what I want him to know,” adding that he wanted to make clear that the Transatlantic Alliance will remain a vital source of strength for the UK, Europe and the US.
Biden arrived in the UK on Wednesday, where on Thursday he will meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and will participate starting on Friday in the G7 summit, which will last for three days.
The US leader called the G7 and NATO summits “essential” diplomacy “because no single nation acting alone can meet all of the challenges we face today,” including dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.
“To tackle this century’s most pressing challenges, we have to do it together,” Biden said.
The president also said that within the G7 the US wants to pursue an ambitious development agenda so that investments can be made in high-quality, digital and health infrastructure.
In addition, he reiterated that the G7 will discuss recent ransomware cyberattacks directed against the US and presumably launched from within Russian territory.
The president will be in the UK until Sunday, when he is scheduled to meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
Later, in the Belgian capital, he is scheduled to attend the NATO summit on June 14 and another summit between the US and the European Union the next day, before meeting with Putin face to face in Geneva on the 16th.
EFE
