President Biden departs for Italy on Wednesday for his second major international engagement this month, hoping to demonstrate his leadership on the world stage amid a tough re-election battle.
The annual summit of the Group of Seven (G7) is expected to include discussions on Ukraine’s war against Russia, Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and other issues such as the global economy and climate change.
The president is expected to spotlight the differences between his partnership with allies and former President Trump’s “America First” agenda, at a time when European allies face a fresh blow from the rising influence of far-right leaders in their own countries.
Here are five things to watch for on Biden’s trip to the G7.
Biden’s trip coincides with right-wing extremist election victories
The president is traveling to Europe on the heels of elections in several countries, which saw right-wing politicians make gains in the election, putting centrist leaders under pressure and raising questions about the future of issues such as aid to Ukraine.
The White House responded to the election by saying it respects democracy around the world and repeated aspects of a speech Biden gave in Normandy last week on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“More importantly, we respect our allies and partners across the European continent. And we are absolutely confident that regardless of who gets which seat in the EU Parliament, we can continue to work with all of our allies and partners,” said White House spokesman John Kirby.
Biden focuses his speeches in France last week about the importance of alliances and promoting and strengthening democracy. In the days that followed, Europe saw a rise in far-right politicians achieving electoral success, while Biden’s November opponent, Trump, continues to promote an “America First” vision.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called early national elections after his pro-European centrist party performed worse than far-right parties in Sunday’s European elections. Macron announced the move shortly after receiving Biden in Paris for a high-level state visit to Normandy.
Germany’s conservative opposition party also received more votes for the European Parliament than Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left party.
Responding to the results, Kirby added that “the president will work with the democratically elected leaders of France, whoever they are.”
Fierce conflict in the Middle East
The summit, which runs from Thursday to Saturday, comes at a sensitive time in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli forces freed four hostages held by Hamas on Sunday, but more than 200 Palestinians were killed in the raid, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip.
The UN Security Council on Monday approved a US-backed resolution calling for an immediate, momentary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Biden announced the proposal last month, giving the clearest signal so far that he was ready for an end to the war, saying at the time that Israel had weakened Hamas to the point that it could not launch another attack on October 7.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not agree to a constant ceasefire until all hostages were released. In addition, Hamas was no longer able to threaten Israel militarily and no longer governed the Gaza Strip.
Kirby said on Tuesday that the United States had received Hamas’s response to the ceasefire proposal and was still reviewing it.
Biden is likely to listen to the views of his European allies on the issue, as Israel’s standing on the world stage continues to suffer from the ongoing energetic of war, with tens of thousands of people having died in Gaza since the war began in October.
A second meeting with Zelenskyj
Biden is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky in Italy. It will be the second time in a week that the two men have met while Biden is abroad. The two previously met in Normandy during D-Day anniversary celebrations.
“At the G-7 meeting later this week, our commitment to Ukraine will continue to be expressed very loud and clear,” Kirby told reporters. (*5*)
The president will not attend the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland on Saturday, but will return home to attend a major fundraiser in California. Vice President Harris will represent him.
Another significant element of the G-7 members’ commitment to Ukraine at the summit will be to reach consensus on seizing frozen Russian assets to provide financial support to Ukraine.
G-7 members froze Russian assets worth around $268 billion following the 2022 invasion and the US-led proposal According to reports calls on countries to exploit the profits from frozen assets – about $2.6-3.6 billion a year – to repay a $50 billion loan to Ukraine.
Biden and Zelensky will hold a press conference following their meeting and the US is expected to announce up-to-date sanctions and export control measures against Russia.
During each of his foreign trips, Biden has made a point of emphasizing the unanimous support of the United States and its allies for Ukraine.
After a months-long stalemate, Congress approved about $61 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, allowing Biden to score a legislative victory and tout continued U.S. leadership in supporting Kyiv.
But Republicans are unlikely to support additional aid this year, and the prospect of Trump returning to the White House threatens the prospect of continuing U.S. aid beyond 2024. This could undermine Biden’s appeals to allies to continue providing aid to Ukraine.
Global economy recovers, driven by the USA
Biden comes to the G-7 summit with good news about the global economic situation: the global economy is stabilizing and is being driven by the USA.
The World Bank economic outlook The report, released on Tuesday, attributed the improving global economic outlook to the powerful U.S. economy.
“Despite the sharpest monetary tightening in four decades, growth has remained stable. Indeed, momentum in the US is one reason why the global economy has upside potential over the next two years,” the organization wrote.
The G-7 includes the world’s most advanced economies and is expected to discuss improving the global economy. Any praise for the U.S. role in bolstering the World Bank’s outlook for the international community would be of great importance to Biden ahead of the November election.
Biden will host a G7 side event to promote global infrastructure and investment, the White House said.
“We will continue to offer a path to help countries overcome unsustainable debt burdens, strengthen the lending capacity of the World Bank, mobilize additional capital for ambitious infrastructure investments, and make new commitments on food and health security,” Kirby said.
Domestic political problems for Biden
Biden is scheduled to travel to Italy the day after the birth of his son, Hunter Biden. found guilty on all three counts in his gun trial in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden unexpectedly traveled to Wilmington on Tuesday after the verdict and spent the night at his home in Delaware before his trip.
The president and the White House are preparing for the fallout from the younger Biden’s conviction and sentencing. Biden released a statement Tuesday saying he would respect the court process following the verdict and reiterating his support for his son.
The president is also facing headwinds at home because of his domestic policies. his immigration decree announced last week that asylum protection for people crossing a border would be restricted if the number of border crossings exceeded an average of 2,500 per day.
Democrats and immigrant rights groups have sharply criticized the order as too restrictive, while Biden prepares for Republicans to exploit the influx of migrants at the border in the election campaign against Biden.
And the trip abroad takes place just two weeks before Biden’s scheduled debate with Trump. Biden will They reportedly spend time in Camp David to prepare for the confrontation on June 27.
Laura Kelly contributed to this report.
