For the first time in office! Biden leaves for Europe, German media: America and Europe can’t go back to the past.

  [Special correspondent of Global Times in Germany Aoki Special correspondent of Global Times Zhen Xiang] On the 9th, US President Biden will leave for Europe to visit Britain, Belgium and Switzerland to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit, NATO summit, US-Europe summit and US-Russia summit. China and Russia will be the key topics of Biden’s trip to Europe, according to statements made by senior NATO and EU officials on the 8th. Biden hopes to use his first foreign visit since he was elected president of the United States to prove to his allies that "the United States is back." However, many western media and experts believe that the relationship between the United States and Europe can not go back to the past.

  China and Russia will be the key topics of the G7 and NATO summits.

  According to the "Deutsche Welle" report, Biden met with visiting NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg at the White House on the 7th. The two agreed that it is essential to strengthen transatlantic relations in today’s increasingly fierce global competition. They also discussed the possibility of strengthening NATO’s strength to meet new challenges. These challenges include global terrorism, climate change and tensions with China and the Russian Federation. Stoltenberg said that he agreed with Biden’s two-track strategy toward Russia, including "deterrence, defense and dialogue". The senior NATO official said that cooperation with China can bring economic opportunities to the West, but some problems also make it difficult for NATO to develop relations with China. According to the US political news network, Stoltenberg stressed that NATO should turn its focus to China, and the joint statement issued by the NATO summit will involve more China.

  European Council President Michelle hailed "America is back" on Monday. According to Reuters’s report on the 8th, Michelle said that Biden’s trip to Europe this week marked that multilateralism "survived" after the Trump administration, which means that the EU has a very strong partner to promote the multilateral model. He predicted that the G7 Summit would discuss the need for the West to take a more active approach to defend its values in the face of "China’s rise and Russian self-confidence".

  "The United States and Europe can’t go back to the past."

  The 78-year-old Biden will have the most intense itinerary since he took office. After their departure on the 9th, he and his wife will first arrive at Milden Hole Air Force Base in the UK, where they will meet with the US Air Force stationed in the UK. On the 10th, they will visit Cornwall, England, where Biden will meet with British Prime Minister Johnson and reiterate the special relationship between the United States and Britain. From 11th to 13th, the American president will attend the G7 summit, then fly to Brussels to attend the NATO summit on 15th and have a private meeting with Turkish President Erdogan. On the 16th, Biden will travel to Switzerland to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

  Agence France-Presse said on the 8th that Biden’s current visit will "guard democracy" and "hold high the banner" for western countries at a "turning point". Biden wrote in the Washington post a few days ago that the "democratic alliances and institutions" that played a great role in the last century have the ability to deal with the current threats and opponents, and this week will prove this.

  "Biden will be warmly welcomed." According to the Associated Press reported on the 8th, when Biden arrives in Europe, he will find that all the hosts welcome him. For most American allies, Biden gave them a sigh of relief. Former US President Trump often creates chaos, accusing NATO of relying on the United States and insulting the EU. In contrast, Biden emphasized his support for international diplomacy. However, European countries are also wary of the United States. Trump has left them with an indelible shadow, and there are many differences between the United States and Europe. For example, although Biden has begun to rebuild relations with NATO, Washington still hopes that other NATO members will increase their defense spending, which is Trump’s previous position.

  "The United States and Europe can’t go back to the past." Germany’s "Focus" magazine commented on the 8 th that Biden hopes to open a new transatlantic relationship, but the United States has changed and Europe also hopes to gain more "strategic autonomy." Europe is worried that there will be a Trump-style president in the United States again, and the relationship between the United States and Europe will once again be cracked. Europe hopes to strengthen cooperation with the United States in key areas such as climate, vaccines, trade and security, but it will also have its own policies on relations with China and Russia. According to Washington post, experts believe that Biden has not appointed the permanent representative of the United States to NATO and the ambassador to the European Union, which shows that Washington is indifferent to this matter. European commentators also realize that no matter how friendly Biden is in London and Brussels, the United States increasingly regards Europe as a secondary partner in its increasingly fierce competition with China.

  Will the US-Russia summit go smoothly?

  The US-Russia summit will be the highlight of Biden’s trip to Europe. Many people in the United States believe that Biden should not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that this meeting is a "reward" for Moscow. According to Bloomberg News, US Presidential National Security Assistant Sullivan said on Monday that holding a summit meeting is the best way for the United States to clarify the intentions of the Russian government. The summit will give Biden the opportunity to show Putin the intentions and capabilities of the United States and Putin the intentions and capabilities of Russia. He also believes that Biden’s "participation in this meeting will be smooth."

  However, Sullivan also lowered people’s expectations of the summit results on Monday. "If you have to wait for really important results, you may have to wait for a long time, which is conceivable." On the 8th, Agence France-Presse listed five key issues that will be involved in the US-Russia summit, including election intervention, arms control and diplomatic tensions, and believed that both sides complained about each other on these issues. Before the summit, politicians of both the United States and Russia expressed pessimism about the outcome of the summit.         

  According to media reports such as the US "Axios" news network, Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky on Monday and invited him to visit the White House this summer. Zelensky had hoped to meet Biden before the US-Russia summit, but this request was rejected by Washington. As the US-Russia summit approaches, Ukraine keeps putting pressure on NATO and the United States, hoping that Kiev can join NATO as soon as possible. Stephanie Hina, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister in charge of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said that it was NATO’s "biggest mistake" for western countries to remain silent on Ukraine’s accession to NATO, and Kiev had been expecting a "historic response" since the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008.