1. Biden And European Allies At Loggerheads on China and Russia
That is Axios' assessment based on facts on the ground. And it is bone-chilling at a time when China is clearly a malicious actor on world stage. Let us review the situation.
That is Axios' assessment based on facts on the ground. And it is bone-chilling at a time when China is clearly a malicious actor on world stage. Let us review the situation.
2. As President Biden departed Washington today, he told reporters he was going to use his first foreign trip to make "clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight and the G7 is gonna move."
3. The problem is Biden's statements regarding the allies' shared objectives are not supported by the statements and actions of the allies themselves.
4. Biden's optimistic words and their bottom-line deeds will collide during a G7 summit in the U.K., a NATO gathering in Brussels and a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.
5. Two powerful European countries — Germany and France — don't appear to be on board when it comes to presenting a united front against China and Russia.
6. German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to strengthen European financial connections with the Chinese. She has been the most prominent European voice advocating for an EU-China investment deal.
7. Merkel is also determined to complete and operationalize the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.
The Germans have made clear to the Biden administration they won't back down on this project, regardless of U.S. pleas or pressure.
The Germans have made clear to the Biden administration they won't back down on this project, regardless of U.S. pleas or pressure.
8. Biden all but conceded defeat by waiving sanctions on the company overseeing construction — clearing the way for the pipeline's completion.
That is a major win for Putin.
That is a major win for Putin.
9. Putin now has a potent lever to increase his influence in Europe and over vulnerable states such as Poland and Ukraine. Each scenario is another means of furthering his efforts to divide NATO.
10. French President Emmanuel Macron also has made public statements conflicting with Biden's comments.
In February, Macron warned against the idea of the European Union joining the U.S. to confront China.
In February, Macron warned against the idea of the European Union joining the U.S. to confront China.
11. "A situation to join together against China is a scenario of the highest possible conflictuality. This one, for me, is counterproductive," Macron said.
Macron also has called for European "strategic autonomy" — a phrase that implies a distance between Europe and the U.S.
Macron also has called for European "strategic autonomy" — a phrase that implies a distance between Europe and the U.S.
12. President Trump was pilloried for undermining the Atlantic alliance. A major goal of Biden's trip is promoting alliance unity. The actions that European leaders have already taken, though, are now speaking louder than any joint statement they ultimately produce in Brussels.
13. Germany and France seem to have already flipped off President Biden even before he landed in Europe. For all the media carping, European allies did not dare to cross Trump. The allies are already treating Biden as the weak sister. China and Russia are grinning.
The End
The End
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