President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, his first overseas trip since taking office in January, included a number of summits that began with the G7 and a NATO conference where he met with the US’ European allies and finished with a face-to-face encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden’s intended message was to clearly distinguish himself as being the antithesis to his isolationist and wildly unpredictable predecessor, Donald Trump, and assure the Western alliance that the United States “is back” and ready to lead.
The June 14 NATO Summit in Brussels was Biden’s first as president and gave him the opportunity to meet with the other 29 NATO leaders. During discussions with his counterparts, Biden was able to calm many of the internal political tensions that had built up as a result of Trump’s constant belligerence towards his own transatlantic partners by reassuring the NATO allies that the US was committed to Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty – the pledge by every member to defend any and all who belong to NATO in the event one of them is attacked.
Biden calling Article 5 “a sacred obligation” was diametrically different from Trump’s remarks about NATO being “obsolete”. Most importantly, NATO leaders agreed on updating the old Strategic Concept from a decade ago by the end of next year. Revizing the Alliance’s priorities is crucial, as an up-to-date list will enable the transatlantic community to effectively face the continuously changing security environment and challengers to Euro-Atlantic security.
Naming Russia and China as NATO’s top adversaries provided a clear idea about where the Alliance will focus its attention in the coming years. In addition, NATO leaders also discussed putting hybrid attacks and hacking on the list of grounds that could be used for invoking Article 5.
President Biden also met with top EU leaders and discussed shared common values and challenges, including climate change, trade and COVID-19. Together with the presidents of the European Council and Commission, Biden reached and agreement that ended a 16-year-old trade dispute between Boeing and Airbus and suspended tariffs on American and European goods for five years.
While these measures aim to help both economies, they are also designed to provide both sides with more space to focus on China and develop a joint strategy to counter its economic rise and malign market practices. Biden is taking the right track in this regard as the EU has a role to play with its deep trading ties to China.
While Biden’s focus on China has been apparent since he took office and has now gained momentum, some former Eastern Bloc countries in Europe are worried that the Americans’ intention to solicit allied support to counter the challenge represented by China could potentially endanger their security, as they feel the most vulnerable to a Russian threat.
After the EU-US summit in Brussels, Biden proceeded to a widely discussed meeting with Putin in Geneva. After their talks, both leaders politely “agreed to disagree” on various issues, according to their statements at separate news conferences.
Both admitted that bilateral relations are at their worst since the Cold War, but that both wanted to improve the situation. Biden and Putin took a small, but significant, step to cool tensions by agreeing to send their respective ambassadors back to Washington and Moscow after both were recalled. This first step shows that each side is ready to re-establish some sort of direct dialogue.
Biden and Putin also agreed to launch a “strategic stability dialogue” to discuss arms control and focus on cybersecurity. Biden said he gave Putin a “list of 16 specific entities defined as critical infrastructure” which are off limits to any attacks and warned that he would unleash the US’ formidible cyber-warfare capabilities if necessary.
This statement could indicate a potential escalation of cyber conflicts in the future, as Russia is not the only malign actor in this particular battlefield. The Biden administration has already started to act to reduce the country’s vulnerability to cyberattacks after ransomware attacks traced to Russia knocked out the US’ Colonial Pipeline in May.
Biden also pressured Putin on he issue of human rights, including the imprisonment of political rivals like Alexei Navalny. Putin, however, isn’t going to change his behavior, and in this regard, Putin is well aware of the support he garners at home 67% in May, while 54% of Russian society perceives the US in a negative light.
During his news conference, Putin simply continued with his usual whataboutism, listing counter-accusations instead of answering. Nothing else could be expected from a man who has had an iron grip on power in his country for 21 years. The fact is that Putin’s Russia never admits to past, present, or future mistakes.
Overall, no big promises were made after the Biden-Putin summit, which is not unexpected considering that an agreement on the many disputed fronts cannot be reached after one meeting. It is important that a polite dialogue has been established. Without one, a solution to escalating tensions or conflict cannot be found.
Both Putin and Biden are aware of their responsibility for “strategic stability” and the need to keep their relationship “stable and predictable” as the leaders of the two countries with the world’s largest nuclear weapon stockpiles.
Biden’s tour in Europe made it clear that American foreign policy is making a major comeback after the tumultuous Trump years and that the US now stands ready to face current global challenges alongside its allies.
Red lines were set forth. Now, it is not up to the US alone, but up to building a joint and adequate response with its allies. This will be crucial for Euro-Atlantic security and a resilient transatlantic partnership. Only together can they stymie the expansionist tendencies and aggressive policies of authoritarian actors who continue to threaten the concept of Western democracy.
While a reset in transatlantic relations is certainly a positive message for European leaders, they should not forget about the lessons learned from Trump era. During his term, a need for greater European autonomy started to be widely discussed. It would be a shame if these efforts would, out of conformity, fall back into oblivion. Europe’s leaders have to remember that one election in the US could someday completely recalibrate Washington’s policy positions.
*The article was written in cooperation with the Prague European Summit, which takes place in Prague on July 12-14, 2021.