Biden leaves for first international trip

England is the first stop on President Joe Biden’s weeklong trip. He is attending a conference with leaders from the Group of Seven industrial nations before traveling to Brussels for a NATO summit and a meeting with European leaders. He will end his trip in Geneva, where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What does Biden hope to accomplish? Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One on Wednesday, the president said the trip has one major goal: “Making it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight.” The president began his trip with some humanitarian diplomacy: On Wednesday, the White House confirmed that the administration has agreed to purchase 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses to share with 92 lower-income countries and the African Union.

Dig deeper: Listen to Anna Johansen Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It about Russia’s power grab in the Arctic.