Biden doubles down on transatlantic ties

The importance of the transatlantic alliance will be showcased again this week when Joe Biden makes only his third big overseas trip as US president with Europe yet again the destination following his visits there last Summer and Autumn.

While this trip will be dominated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there will be a wider renewal of transatlantic ties after the turmoil of the Trump presidency. The goal of the meetings is simple: presenting the strongest, unified front to Moscow, while putting aside the division of the Trump era which coincided with significant UK-EU Brexit-related tensions.

Biden has already made progress in his first year with this agenda, including with the United States and EU ending their long-running rift over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus with the suspension of billions of dollars in punitive tariffs. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Biden also last year signed a new Atlantic Charter, following the original treaty signed in 1941 by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, in a symbolic move which saw commitment to cooperation on issues including climate change, security and post-pandemic recovery.