Saturday 25 June 2022 11:03 AM Joe Biden heads to Europe for G7 and NATO summits under pressure to do more on ... trends now
President Joe Biden flies to Europe on Saturday for two major international summits where world leaders will discuss the next steps in helping Ukraine battle the Russian invasion.
He is due first in Germany for a G7 summit before flying to Spain for a meeting of NATO leaders.
Biden is under pressure to do more to support the government of Volodomyr Zelensky, amid accusations that he has been too slow to deliver aid.
And it comes as Ukrainian forces are retreating from the battle in Donbas, outgunned by the Russian war machine.
While prime ministers and presidents of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy have all visited the Ukrainian capital, the 79-year-old U.S. president has stayed away out of security concerns.
'Turning up in Kyiv may not make a huge material difference to the war effort but it is symbolic of the way European leaders think that Biden is doing too much leading from behind,' said a senior diplomat from a European Union state.
'There's a case to be made that the U.S. needs to be leading from the front.'
Some diplomats have also chafed at the way they see the U.S. has dragged its feet on supplying long-range weaponry - or fighter jets - for fear that it would anger Moscow.
'We need Biden to be more forthright,' said a diplomat from an allied nation.'
President Joe Biden heads to Europe on Saturday morning for two summits of world leaders that will be dominated by the Russian war in Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders are appealing for weapons and ammunition that will help them match Russian firepower
President Volodomyr Zelensky is expected to address the G7 and NATO summits. He is seen here on a video screen at the Glastonbury Festival. He is expected to demand more weapons
After weeks of Russian bombardment, Ukrainian troops are pulling out of the city of Sievierodonetsk. They say they cannot match Russian long-range firepower
American officials dispute that assessment, pointing out that Washington announced on Thursday another $450 million in military aid.
It included High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, tens of thousands of additional rounds of ammunition and patrol boats to help protect the coastline.
It brings the total support to more than $6 billion since
