Biden, who values allied relations, creates an opportunity for Europe to strengthen institutional structures across the Atlantic, even if Trump returns to power in the United States, says researcher Ville Sinkkonen.
President of the United States Joe Biden gave a speech in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, on Wednesday evening.
Biden gave a speech lasting about 20 minutes at the University of Vilnius immediately after the conclusion of the NATO summit. Expectations were loaded into the content of the speech, as the speech was the only one of Biden’s ongoing visit to Europe.
Research doctor at the Institute of Foreign Policy Ville Sinkkonen evaluated Biden’s speech to . He says that it was not just a NATO speech.
– Speech of cooperation. A speech emphasizing alliance relations. To a large extent, the speech also describes the entire foreign policy thinking and worldview of the Biden administration, says Sinkkonen.
Sinkkonen refers to the fact that, in addition to NATO, Biden spoke at length about poverty, climate change and artificial intelligence, as well as the challenges they pose to humanity.
– The importance of allied relations and common threats. Not only Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, but also global existential threats, in which the United States has tried to show itself as a value leader during the Biden era, says Sinkkonen.
Biden’s speech did not contain any new openings or surprises, but was in the style of encouraging Ukraine and other US allies in Europe. In terms of Biden’s rhetoric, the speech did not offer much new either.
– Quite a few boxes would have been scratched if you had played Biden’s speech bingo, Sinkkonen sums up.
US alliance relations in focus
In his own research, Sinkkonen has familiarized himself with, among other things, US foreign policy and the importance of trust in international relations. He says that in the speech one could hear the confidence-building towards Europe characteristic of the Biden administration.
– Throughout Biden’s term, alliance relations have been at the center, at least at the level of rhetoric, says Sinkkonen.
In his speech, Biden emphasized the importance of alliances several times and received applause from the audience when he said that the United States cannot succeed without the success of Europe.
Sinkkonen also noted how Biden repeatedly referred to his administration’s efforts to unite the United States’ network of allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region in Asia.
– The message of cooperation signals to the allies that the United States is in Europe to stay. Of course, that’s just the mouth of this administration. The situation is completely different if the next president is one Donald TrumpSinkkonen says, referring to the former US president, who is seeking to return to the White House in next year’s presidential election.
Sinkkonen says that since the Cold War, the United States has not had a president with such a positive attitude towards close transatlantic relations as Biden.
– This is an opportunity for Europe to strengthen the institutional structures that keep the United States in Europe even in a situation where the United States has a president who is critical of supporting Ukraine or NATO in general, Sinkkonen estimates.
Possible symbolic value at the venue of the speech
In his speech, Biden referred several times to the history of Lithuania and other Baltic countries as former parts of the Soviet Union and current NATO countries.
According to Sinkkonen, it is difficult to assess on what basis the White House has decided to hold a speech at the University of Vilnius, but there is a certain symbolism in the place of the speech when Ukraine is defending its independence against the Russian attack at the same time.
Sinkkonen refers to the Baltic’s vulnerable position on the front line on NATO’s eastern border.
– If you want to look for symbolism, it is this idea of a border state and supporting Ukraine.
Tomorrow, Biden will have a summit in Helsinki with the leaders of the Nordic countries, but he is not expected to speak in Helsinki.
Sinkkonen says that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a high-profile foreign policy policy speech in Helsinki at the beginning of June, so it would have been a strange solution if Biden had also given a similar speech in Finland.
Read also:
Analysis: When we stand together, we stand strong – Biden defended the crisis-ridden international system in his speech
Donald Trump may soon be the president of the United States again – Europe should start preparing now, experts urge