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Before meeting with Putin, Biden assures Europeans of his support

The United States reaffirms its support for Europe. Before his first summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden promised his country would stand alongside its European allies against Russia. In a column published on Saturday in the Washington Post, the tenant of the White House promises to consolidate “democratic alliances” of the United States in the face of multiple crises and growing threats from Moscow and Beijing.

Joe Biden is due to travel to Europe on Wednesday, June 9, where he will participate in the annual G7 and NATO summits and will meet in Geneva on June 16 with Vladimir Poutin, in a period of very sharp tensions between the two rival powers. Washington recently sanctioned Moscow for a myriad of reasons: accusations of interference in the elections, computer hacking, espionage, repression targeting the opponent Alexeï Navalny, the military threat weighing on Ukraine and the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, in particular.

Russia has responded with numerous counter-sanctions and the two powers have not had ambassadors in their respective capitals for several weeks. Moscow also accuses NATO of activating militarily at the Russian borders with the deployment of troops and exercises.

Biden and Putin hope for improved relations

“We are united in responding to Russia’s challenges to European security, starting with its aggression in Ukraine, and there will be no doubt about the United States’ resolve to defend our democratic values, which we cannot separate our interests, ”wrote Joe Biden in his column.

“President Putin knows that I will not hesitate to respond to future harmful activities,” he adds. “During our meeting, I will once again underline the commitment of the United States, Europe and democracies attached to the same principles to defend dignity and human rights. ”

Since taking office in January, the American president has shown great firmness towards Russia, eager to mark the break with his predecessor Donald Trump, accused of appeasement. The Democratic president has even gone so far as to call Vladimir Putin a “killer”, drawing strong criticism from Moscow. Nonetheless, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin both expressed hope for improved relations. The Russian president hoped on Friday that their meeting would lead to positive results.

In his column, Biden also points out that Washington “is not seeking conflict,” citing its decision to extend the New Start nuclear arsenal limitation treaty for five years. “We want a stable and predictable relationship in which we can work with Russia on issues like strategic stability and arms control,” he also said.


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