Biden on his first overseas tour: “I’ll tell Putin what I want him to know”

(CNN) – US President Joe Biden said in a hangar full of US soldiers on Wednesday that he was in Europe to defend the very concept of democracy, setting big bets for his first presidential trip abroad and warning Russian President Vladimir Putin that he planned to raise sensitive issues during his G7 summit.

“I am addressing the G7 then to the NATO ministerial meeting and then meeting with Mr Putin to let him know what I want him to know,” said Biden at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, home to an American refueling wing. and the site of Biden’s first presidential speech on foreign soil.

Biden spoke forcefully about restoring American alliances in Europe, describing them as a cornerstone of global security. And he said he would not stop with his meeting with Putin.

“We are not seeking a conflict with Russia. We want a stable and predictable relationship, “he said. “I have been clear: the United States will respond strongly and meaningfully if the Russian government engages in harmful activities. We have already proven it. I am going to communicate that there are consequences for violating the sovereignty of democracies in the United States and Europe and elsewhere.

Before meeting Putin in Geneva next week, Biden will meet with European leaders at the G7 in Cornwall, Britain, and at the NATO summit in Brussels.

“Our unrivaled network of alliances and partnerships that are and have been the key to America’s advantage in the world,” said Biden. “They have made the world safer for all of us and this is how we are going to deal with today’s rapidly changing challenges. Although we will do it from a position of strength.

The Goals of Biden’s Tour

Biden set a lofty goal for his first trip abroad, suggesting that nothing less than democracy itself was at stake as he works to convince world leaders that, after four years of President Donald Trump, America’s commitment to transatlantic ties has returned for the better.

“I believe we are at a turning point in world history, the time when it is up to us to show that democracies will not only endure, but will excel as we rise up to seize the enormous opportunities of the new age,” said Biden. . “We have to discredit those who believe that the era of democracy is over, as do some of our neighboring countries.”

The president also seemed excited to recall his late son’s service. As he began his speech thanking the assembled American service members, he remembered his son Beau, who was a major in the Delaware National Guard.

“I just wish my senior commander was here to thank you as well,” he said.

Biden’s next stop is Cornwall, where he will remain until Sunday to participate in a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the G7 summit.

– CNN’s Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.