Biden seeks to restore NATO ties

GBNEWS24 DESK//

US President Joe Biden will seek to restore bonds of trust at NATO’s first post-Trump summit on Monday, as leaders push to revitalise the alliance despite differences over dangers ahead.

The allies will agree a statement stressing common ground on securing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, joint responses to cyber attacks and relations with a rising China.

Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump undermined faith in the West’s security architecture by questioning Washington’s commitment to defend European partners.

And he clashed publicly with counterparts the last time leaders met in 2019, before abruptly heading home early.

In contrast, Biden has firmly reasserted American backing for the 72-year-old military alliance—and his administration has been making a show of consulting more with partners.

But there remain divisions among the allies on some key issues—including how to deal with China’s rise and how to increase common funding.

Partners are concerned about the rush to leave Afghanistan and some question the strategy of an alliance that French President Emmanuel Macron warns is undergoing “brain death”.

“We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket,” Biden said Sunday after a conciliatory G7 gathering in Britain.

“We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security.”

He stressed the United States had a “sacred obligation” to the alliance and the principle of collective defence, promising he would “make the case: ‘We are back’, as well”.