Biden's first trip abroad will be a whirlwind of major meetings with key allies and top rivals
- Biden has a jam-packed schedule for his first trip abroad.
- He's meeting with everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Vladimir Putin.
- Biden will travel to several countries: the UK, Belgium, and Switzerland.
President Joe Biden will take his first trip abroad as commander-in-chief this month, featuring a slew of important meetings with important US allies as well as top adversaries.
In many ways, the trip will be an audition for Biden on the global stage as he seeks to repair the strains placed on historic alliances during the Trump era. Biden has repeatedly stated that "America is back" now that he's in office, and this is his chance to prove it to the world.
Biden will be meeting with everyone from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Queen Elizabeth to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He'll attend a G7 summit, a NATO summit, and an EU summit. The president will travel to multiple countries on his journey, including the UK, Belgium, and Switzerland.
With US-Russia tensions at a historic high, Biden's meeting with Putin will in many ways be the most anticipated aspect of the trip. Washington and Moscow are at odds over a convoluted array of issues, ranging from Russia's interference in US elections to the ongoing war involving Kremlin-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Biden has vowed to address these issues, among others, and work to find common ground during the meeting.
Though all eyes will be on Biden's meeting with Putin, the president's interactions with Erdogan will also be closely monitored given the tense dynamic between the US and Turkey.
Turkey is a NATO ally, but US-Turkey relations have rapidly deteriorated in recent years. Biden and Erdogan have a particularly tense relationship. The president has referred to his Turkish counterpart as an autocrat, prompting outcry in Ankara, and Erdogan blasted Biden's recent move to formally recognize the Armenian genocide.
In short, this will be a challenging excursion for Biden. But foreign policy is an area where the president has a breadth of experience and often appears to be most comfortable. This will be the first time he represents the US outside of its borders as commander-in-chief, however, and he'll be eager to make a good first impression.
Here's a quick breakdown of Biden's jam-packed schedule on his first trip abroad:
- June 10: Meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the UK
- June 11-13: G7 summit in Cornwall, including bilateral meetings with other G7 leaders
- June 13: Meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle
- June 14: NATO summit in Brussels
- June 14: Meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels
- June 15: US-EU summit in Brussels
- June 15: Meetings with King Philippe of Belgium and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Brussels
- June 16: Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva
- June 16: Meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in Geneva