Biden to rebuild 'sacred' NATO bond shaken by Trump
US President Joe Biden will seek to revive bonds of trust at NATO's first post-Trump summit on Monday, as leaders push to revitalize the alliance despite dissimilarities over dangers ahead. The allies will agree a statement stressing common ground on securing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, joint responses to cyber attacks and relations with a rising China.
Biden's predecessor Donald Trump undermined faith in the West's security architecture by questioning Washington's commitment to defend European partners. And he clashed publicly with counterparts the last time leaders met in 2019, before abruptly heading home early.
On the other hand, Biden has firmly reasserted American backing for the 72-year-old military alliance - and his administration has been making a show of consulting more with partners.
But there remain divisions among the allies on some key issues - including how to handle China's rise and how to increase common funding.
Partners are worried about the rush to leave Afghanistan and some question the strategy of an alliance that French President Emmanuel Macron warns is undergoing "brain death."
"We usually do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket," Biden said Sunday after a conciliatory G7 gathering in Britain.
"We think that NATO is vital to your ability to maintain American security."
He stressed america had a "sacred obligation" to the alliance and the principle of collective defense, promising he would "make the case: 'We are back', as well."
The summit at NATO's cavernous Brussels headquarters is set to green light a 2030 reform program.
The leaders will consent to rewrite the core "strategic concept" to handle a global where cyber attacks, climate change, and new technologies pose new threats.
