Biden is attending his first NATO meeting as president, aiming to build bridges after Trump berated allies as 'deadbeats' and belittled the alliance
by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Then-President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to pursue Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the attacks.
During the Obama administration, NATO members agreed to raise domestic defense spending to 2% of their national budgets by 2024. Trump demanded it happen more quickly, and some countries have complied; others, including Germany, continue to lag, arguing that they should receive dispensation because much of their spending goes to the resettlement of refugees created by armed conflicts.
Countries including Hungary and Poland have cracked down on dissidents, journalists and news media outlets.Biden also intends to encourage NATO to expand its mandate to include confronting China, his national security advisor Jake Sullivan said. For decades, Russia as the enemy was the raison d'etre for NATO, but cyberattacks and China's growing global power have made it an emerging threat that NATO must address, Sullivan said.
The administration is stressing that affirming U.S. alliances in multiple venues — NATO, the EU and the G-7 — strengthens Biden's hand as he heads into what will be the most challenging encounter of the trip: his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for Wednesday in Geneva.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden at NATO for bridge building after Trump mocked alliance as 'obsolete'Biden is attending his first NATO meeting as president, aiming to build bridges after Trump berated allies as 'deadbeats' and belittled the alliance.
Read more »
Biden seeks to recommit US to NATO after tense Trump yearsUS President Joe Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump had undermined the importance of the alliance in his four-year term, with frequent insults about the relevance of multilateral organisations such as NATO.
Read more »
Biden kicks off first NATO summit with plans to focus on Russia, ChinaPresident Biden kicks off his first NATO summit, reaffirming U.S. support of the 72-year-old alliance in a stark shift from fmr. President Trump.
Read more »
Biden to Emphasize U.S. Commitment to NATO at SummitPresident Biden will emphasize his commitment to the principle of collective defense at the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, following some uncertainty about Washington’s view under former President Donald Trump.
Read more »
President Biden arrives at NATO for first visit as PresidentPresident Joe Biden has arrived at his first in-person North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit Monday, vowing to reaffirm the United States' commitment to a military alliance his predecessor viewed with disdain.
Read more »
Biden tries to narrow NATO cracksThe leaders of the military services will defend their portions of the Pentagon budget this week before lawmakers who have expressed deep skepticism about the many trade-offs in a $715 billion spending blueprint.
Read more »