As they get ready to greet President Joe Biden, the fact that he sees Europe as a partner and NATO as crucial to Western security is seen as a significant development. However, the impact of the previous administration has left lasting wounds that experts believe will take time to heal. Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, warns against underestimating the Trump era's effect on the European Union, as there are concerns about a potential return of Trump and the EU being left out in the cold once again. This has led to the EU being more cautious in accepting US demands. Various important topics, such as the Afghanistan withdrawal, military spending, relations with Russia and China, trade conflicts, climate issues, and vaccine diplomacy, are on the agenda for discussion. The Europeans admire Biden's promises of loyalty and affection, but they have seen how quickly US foreign policy can change with a new president. They worry that this could happen again, with America shifting towards more populist, nationalist leaders after Biden. They are uncertain about the costs of Biden's policies and how they differ from Trump's "America first" approach. With upcoming elections in Germany, France, and the US, Biden's ability to make significant changes may be limited. However, his upcoming visits to NATO and the EU will carry more significance than just symbolic gestures. The meetings are scheduled in a way that allows him to arrive in Geneva on June 16 with support and consultation from allies for his first meeting as president with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. Jana Puglierin, Berlin director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes that Biden is starting a new relationship and expressing trust in Brussels and NATO in order to strengthen the alliance for the next decade. She also emphasizes the need for tangible results to show benefits from the partnership. François Heisbourg, a French defense analyst, views Biden's trip positively, stating that there is no cynicism and that the US is back with Biden's return. "Biden, with his strong views, is committed to implementing them, with a focus on reestablishing friendships and civility with allies. Although international affairs are not his top priority, he aims to show the importance of alliances and partnerships through actions rather than just words. However, the lack of ambassadors to key positions such as NATO and the EU is noted by experts, who stress the need for immediate communication with top officials in case of emergencies." The NATO summit meeting involving 30 leaders will be brief, consisting of a 2 1/2-hour session following an opening ceremony. This will allow for just five minutes for each leader to speak. The leaders will reach an agreement on a communique currently being negotiated, address the Afghanistan withdrawal, and approve a yearlong study on updating NATO's strategic concept to address new challenges such as cyberwarfare, artificial intelligence, antimissile defense, disinformation, and other emerging technologies. The previous revision of the strategic concept in 2010 focused on Russia as a potential partner, with minimal mention of China. The new revision will start with different assumptions. NATO officials and ambassadors anticipate future discussions on topics such as countering China within a regional trans-Atlantic alliance, determining necessary capabilities for NATO, and deciding how much funding should be provided by member countries. Finding ways to adjust to the EU's ambiguous desire for "strategic autonomy" while promoting European military spending and efficiency, and preventing overlap with NATO is a pressing issue. Additionally, there is a need to enhance NATO's political acumen, as emphasized by French President Emmanuel Macron, which could involve organizing new meetings among member states' key officials such as national security advisers and political directors. In a more discreet manner, leaders will begin discussing potential replacements for NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, whose term was extended by two years to maintain stability during the Trump administration and is set to conclude in September 2022. The upcoming NATO summit will also address crucial matters such as managing Afghanistan post-withdrawal, navigating relations with Putin's Russia, Xi Jinping's China, and Aleksandr Lukashenko's Belarus. The ambassador of a NATO country stated that those interested in punctual trains will find the NATO summit interesting, while those interested in train collisions will be disappointed. A similar situation is expected at Biden's June 15 meeting with the European Union, where he will meet with Charles Michel of the European Council and Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission. Biden will have already met with 21 of the 27 EU leaders at the NATO summit the previous day. Turkey, a member of NATO, presents challenges in balancing relationships with Russia and hostility towards Greece. Cyprus, an EU member, hinders coordination with NATO due to its animosity towards Turkey. The bloc faces various issues such as trade disputes, enforcing a global minimum corporate tax rate, data transfer, military spending, transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy, regulating technology giants, reforming multilateral institutions, and addressing the threats posed by China and Russia. There is also concern about the possibility of another president like Trump succeeding Biden, as seen in the unilateral decision to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. In the same way, European leaders were upset and ashamed of Biden's choice to back the waiver of intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines. This decision, made in response to increasing criticism at home, was made without any prior notice to allies or consultation. Europeans do not view China in the same way as the United States does and are more reliant on both China and Russia for trade and energy. Some are concerned that Biden's attempt to frame the world as a contest between democracy and authoritarianism is overly simplistic. Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy's International Affairs Institute, emphasized the importance of consulting with allies before the Putin summit, stating that it is more than just a symbolic gesture. Europeans are fooling themselves if they believe that things can return to how they used to be. It is important for Europeans to collaborate with Biden on important issues like climate, vaccines, and trade in order to establish a Western consensus that can lead to a wider global agreement. This, she argues, is the most effective way to demonstrate the benefits of democracy.