President Biden on Friday praised the importance of the alliance between the U.S. and Europe, while shooting at his predecessor.
“I am sending a clear message to the world, America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back and we are not looking back, we are looking forward together,” he said in a virtual speech at the annual Munich Security Conference.
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“The partnership between Europe and the United States, in my opinion, is and must remain the cornerstone of everything we hope to achieve in the 21st century, just as we did in the 20th century,” he said.
In the speech, Biden reaffirmed that his government is halting the withdrawal of Trump-era troops from Germany and raising the limit on the number of U.S. forces that can be based in Germany.
Biden has sought to reach out to repair what his government sees as damaged alliances left behind by the Trump administration – whose “America First” approach has angered allies at times. Biden has pledged to re-enter international agreements and institutions, such as the Paris climate agreement and the nuclear agreement with Iran.
On climate change, he declared: “We can no longer do the bare minimum necessary to deal with climate change – this is a global existential crisis.”
He made references to Trump’s sometimes thorny relationship with some European allies.
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“I know that the past few years have worn and tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined, determined to commit again to Europe, to consult with you, to regain our position of trust and leadership,” he said.
He also told participants that the world was at a “tipping point among those who argue that given all the challenges we have faced since the fourth industrial revolution, the global pandemic, autocracy is the best way forward … and those who understand that democracy is essential to meet these challenges. “
Michael Ryan, a former senior defense officer during the Trump administration, said he believed the speech would be well received in Europe.
“I thought it was maternity and apple pie for the transatlantic relationship, which is not a bad thing,” he told Fox News. “At the beginning of a government, he has to set the tone, which he did very well.”
Ryan said the Biden government should capitalize on a honeymoon period across the Atlantic to point out allies on issues like an agreed security agenda. He also recalled that the speech will be the first of many to Biden’s allies.
“Rhetorically a very important speech at this turning point, as President Biden called it, and it is important from the point of view that only the United States and Europe working together can face the main challenges of our day,” he said.
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Biden also spoke about the economic challenges and security threats posed by both China and Russia – calling the Beijing threat different from Moscow’s “but equally real”.
He also announced that the United States will release $ 4 billion for an international vaccination effort COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the poorest nations – something that its predecessor did not support.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.