Biden is heading to Europe. A king and a war are on his agenda

President Joe Biden leaves connected Sunday for Europe, wherever helium volition walk clip successful 3 nations tending to alliances that person been tested by Russia's penetration of Ukraine.

After arriving astatine nighttime successful London, Biden volition conscionable the adjacent time with King Charles III for the archetypal clip since helium was crowned. Next is the centerpiece of the trip, the NATO acme successful Vilnius, Lithuania. Alliance leaders volition statement the warfare and revise plans for dealing with Russian aggression.

The last halt is successful Helsinki, wherever Biden connected Thursday is expected to observe the expanding alliance, with Finland arsenic the newest subordinate of NATO.

His nationalist information adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the travel would "showcase the president's enactment connected the satellite stage."

A look astatine Biden's docket and the issues helium volition face:

Biden arrives successful London connected Sunday nighttime and is expected to person a afloat docket of meetings Monday.

"There's ever a batch to speech astir with the U.K.," said Max Bergmann, a erstwhile State Department authoritative who leads the Europe Program astatine the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Biden volition clasp talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak astatine 10 Downing St. Sunak is facing an predetermination by the extremity of adjacent year. His Conservative Party is lagging severely down the absorption successful sentiment polls.

Despite Sunak's shaky governmental standing, helium has fostered adjacent ties with Biden and it volition beryllium their sixth gathering since Sunak took bureau past October.

Bergmann said Sunak's tenure has been a bully alteration of gait aft "there were immoderate concerns astir Boris Johnson," 1 of Sunak's predecessors, "being a escaped cannon."

Biden volition sojourn the king astatine Windsor Castle, a royal residence extracurricular London. Biden did not be Charles' coronation — archetypal woman Jill Biden went successful his spot — truthful this volition beryllium their archetypal brushwood since then.

They're expected to sermon clime change, an contented that has been a absorption for some leaders, and however to concern initiatives to code the problem.

Biden volition walk 2 days successful the superior of Lithuania, which is hosting the yearly NATO summit. He volition enactment successful meetings with leaders and present a code from Vilnius University.

The confederation has been reinvigorated by the warfare successful Ukraine, and members person been pouring subject hardware into the state to assistance repel Russia's invasion.

Biden connected Friday defended what helium said was a "difficult decision" to supply clump munitions to Ukraine, a determination his medication said was cardinal to the combat and buttressed by Ukraine's committedness to usage the arguable bombs carefully. Biden is apt to look questions from allies connected wherefore the U.S. would nonstop a limb into Ukraine that much than two-thirds of NATO members person banned due to the fact that it has a way grounds for causing galore civilian casualties.

For Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the acme "will nonstop a wide message: NATO stands united, and Russia's aggression volition not pay."

But NATO has besides struggled to span divides implicit important issues. Finland was welcomed into the confederation this year, but Sweden's rank has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

There are besides disagreements implicit however rapidly to widen an invitation to Ukraine to articulation NATO.

Countries connected NATO's eastbound flank privation to determination quickly, viewing it arsenic a mode to deter Russian aggression. The U.S. and others advocator a much cautious approach.

One contented has already been settled, astatine slightest for the clip being. Stoltenberg's word has been extended for a twelvemonth due to the fact that members could not hold connected a caller leader.

Sen. Thom Tillis, who volition be the summit, likened the confederation to a gathering of dozens of household members who bicker and clash but nevertheless stay united.

"At the extremity of the day, you cognize you're family," said Tillis, R-N.C.

Tillis is starring a bipartisan delegation on with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who said NATO is much almighty than before.

"It's the strongest subject confederation successful our history, and I deliberation it lone has gotten stronger arsenic a effect of U.S. leadership, arsenic the effect of Stoltenberg's enactment and arsenic the effect of the menace from Vladimir Putin to each of the NATO allies and different countries successful Europe and astir the satellite and to the planetary order," she said.

After 2 nights successful Vilnius, Biden visits Helsinki. The halt is simply a spot of a triumph lap, but could besides beryllium a reminder of unfinished business.

The Nordic state successful April became the 31st subordinate of NATO, ending its past of nonalignment and demonstrating however Russia's penetration of Ukraine has backfired successful Europe.

Finland was expected to articulation alongside its neighbour Sweden, whose admittance has stalled due to the fact that of Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires unanimous consent of each its members to expand.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited the White House connected Wednesday and met with Biden to support up the unit for membership. But determination is small anticipation that the contented volition beryllium resolved successful Vilnius.

The White House is billing Biden's sojourn to Helsinki arsenic a "U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit."

It's a overmuch antithetic juncture from the past clip a U.S. president visited Helsinki 5 years ago.

During that trip, Donald Trump held a quality league with Putin and brushed disconnected concerns astir Russian meddling successful Trump's predetermination victory.

Now Biden is heading to the metropolis to show however his medication has held the enactment against Moscow and expanded Western defenses.