Biden Vows To Show Russia & China That US-Europe Alliance Is “Tight” In High Stakes 1st Trip Abroad 

President Biden previewed in a Washington Post op-ed that his eight day trip for which he embarked Wednesday, “Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity against modern-day threats and adversaries? I believe the answer is yes. And this week in Europe, we have the chance to prove it.”

And White House press secretary Jen Psaki Tuesday described somewhat dramatically how he’s been preparing for what’s the first foreign trip of his presidency: “He’s been getting ready for 50 years. He has been on the world stage. He’s known a number of these leaders for decades, including President Putin, and including a number of the leaders he’ll see at NATO and he’ll see at the G7. Now, this is an important opportunity for him to see them in person, and there’s nothing like face-to-face engagement in diplomacy.”

Or less ambitiously the administration might hope to simply reverse the PR hit it took with Kamala Harris’s series of missteps in her Guatemala trip. It seems she’s the only one calling it a “success” – and of note is that even CNN dubbed it “rocky”  and described that admin officials were “perplexed” by some of her statements. As he boarded Air Force One on Wednesday morning, Biden said as cited in AFP that in the upcoming summits with allies as well as Putin, he will show Russia and China that the US-Europe alliance is “tight”. The administration has further been repeating its mantra “America is back” following what it characterizes as damaged relations with allies after four years of Trump.

Already there were some minor hick-ups as the trip got off the ground…

Not a good week for Biden administration planes. First mechanical issues with the @vp plane. Now, the press charter for @potus trip is delayed because the engines were invaded by cicadas, grounding it.

— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) June 9, 2021

Cicadas filled the engines of a press plane set to accompany President Biden on his trip to Europe, forcing a delay and a new plane and pilot to be called in. https://t.co/PSzNZ12eyI

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 9, 2021

Below is President Biden’s trip schedule as outlined in Reuters…

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Wednesday, June 9: RAF Mildenhall

Biden and his wife, Jill, depart on Wednesday morning from Washington. Their first stop in the UK will be at Royal Air Force Mildenhall to greet U.S. Air Force personnel stationed there. Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only permanent U.S. Air Force air refueling wing in the European theater.

Thursday, June 10: Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Biden will meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Cornwall, England, site of the G7 summit, to reaffirm the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12: G7 in Cornwall

Biden will attend more G7 summit meetings in Cornwall and have bilateral meetings with fellow G7 leaders.

Sunday, June 13: The Queen

Biden will finish his meetings at the G7 summit. Afterward, the Bidens will meet Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. Then Biden will travel to Brussels for the night.

Monday, June 14: NATO

Biden will meet NATO leaders and have a private meeting with the president of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan.

Tuesday, June 15: EU, trade and technology

Biden will hold more NATO meetings and then fly to Geneva for the night.

Wednesday, June 16: Russia

Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday it was unclear whether the two leaders would hold a joint news conference after their talks.