The first stop is London, where he will meet King Charles III for the first time since his coronation. Next he will go to the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the leaders will discuss the war and review plans against Russian aggression.
The final stop is Helsinki, where Biden is expected to celebrate Finland’s recent NATO membership.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the trip “will showcase the president’s leadership on the world stage.”
Here’s a look at Biden’s agenda and the issues he’ll address:
Biden will have a full day of meetings on Monday.
He will first meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street. Sunak faces an election before the end of next year. His Conservative Party trails far behind the opposition in the polls.
Sunak has a close relationship with Biden and this will be his sixth meeting with the US president since the prime minister took office in October.
Biden will visit the king at Windsor Castle, a royal residence on the outskirts of London. They will talk about climate change, a topic that has been of central interest to both, and how to finance initiatives to combat it.
VILNA
Biden will spend two days in the Lithuanian capital, host of the annual NATO summit. She will participate in meetings with other leaders and will deliver a speech at Vilnius University.
The War in the Ukraine has reinvigorated the alliance, whose members have sent weapons to help it repel the Russian invasion.
On Friday, Biden defended his “tough decision” to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, which his administration views as crucial and bolstered by Ukraine’s pledge to use them carefully. Allies are likely to ask why the United States is sending a weapon that two-thirds of NATO members have banned because it causes too many civilian casualties.
NATO faces some internal divisions. It welcomed Finland, but Sweden’s entry was vetoed by Türkiye and Hungary.
When to invite Ukraine to join is another matter. Countries on the eastern flank want swift action to deter Russian aggression, but the United States and others advocate more caution.
HELSINKI
The final stop in Helsinki is in some ways an Olympic lap, but also a possible reminder of unfinished business.
The Nordic country joined NATO in April as the 31st member, ending its history of non-alignment and showing that Russia has backfired in Europe.
FUENTE: Associated Press
