Written by Naina Mahajan, a grade 6 student

Recently, Joe Biden, the 46^th President of the United States of America, began his first overseas trip, to Europe. This is a unique moment for the USA. With this trip, Biden will try to eradicate the trauma of the tenure of Donald Trump and also try to convince both the nations with whom they share friendly relations and those with whom they do not, that the USA will re-establish its position as a global leader.

Biden has been in the global arena for nearly five decades; first as a senator, then vice-president, and now as the President of The United States Of America.

He has hosted the leaders of both Japan and South Korea at the White House since taking office on the 20^th of January this year. However, he didn’t travel abroad due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the pandemic still entrenches much of the world, the United Kingdom has decided to open its borders to vaccinated tourists, including Americans. Biden decided to take an international trip, starting in the UK. As this trip is already underway as I write this article, by now, President Biden has already met the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson on June 10^th. Biden is also set to attend the G7 summit, which is the focal point of his trip to the UK, and started on June 11^th and is due to conclude today, on the 13^th of June.

The G7 (Group of Seven) summit is a meeting where the leaders of seven countries: the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, meet to discuss various issues.

The expected topics of discussion for this year include – developing a response to the coronavirus and solutions for climate change. Invited guests for the event are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The event is being held at the Carbis Bay Resort in Cornwall, England.

It is the 47^th G7 summit to be held and a great opportunity for President Biden to be meeting his counterparts and heads of many important countries on a common platform.

This visit to the UK would also include tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, also scheduled for today. Post this, Biden will make a quick stop for the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) meeting in Brussels, which will start on June 14^th, Monday.

Here’s a quick background…

NATO was formed in the year 1949, to provide security to all its member nations against the threat then posed by the Soviet Union (present-day Russia). It currently has 30 member nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom as well as many European nations.

This year, some of the topics which would be discussed are emerging technologies, climate change, and security, among others.

Meeting the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on the 16^th of June, is the last leg of President Biden’s Europe trip. They will be meeting at Geneva in Switzerland, to discuss certain imperative concerns both countries have. The agenda includes rising tensions with regards to the ransomware attacks, on one of the USA’s meat slaughtering giants, JBS. Since this seems to be emanating from Russia; the outcome of dialogues on this would play a crucial role in their already strained relations. They will also discuss Moscow’s aggression towards Ukraine and other issues.

 We all wait with bated breath to see how the events of the summit unfold, as the relationship between the two Presidents has a rocky past, which dates back to the year 2011, when in his role as the Vice President of America, Biden looked Putin in the eyes and said, “I don’t think you have a soul.” Putin looked back, smiled, and said, “We understand one another”.

So, much to look forward to.

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