Biden says transatlantic alliance has adapted to new threats

MADRID (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that transatlantic alliance has transformed itself by adapting to a rapidly changing security situation around the globe.

“I think we can all agree that this has been a historic NATO Summit,” Biden said, speaking to reporters at a summit closing news conference.

The three-day summit included the Biden administration announcing plans to permanently bolster the U.S. military presence in Europe, an agreement between Turkey, Finland and Sweden to pave the way for the accession of Nordic nations into NATO, and the alliance updating its strategic concept reflect that China’s “coercive policies” are a challenge the Western bloc’s interests.

Biden noted the last time NATO updated its strategic concept 12 years ago, Russia was characterized as a partner, and the document didn’t even mention China. The new document hammered out at the summit changes that.

“The world has changed, changed a great deal since then,” Biden said.

Biden’s comments came at a press conference in Madrid at the conclusion of the annual meeting of NATO leaders and after he attended a summit with the Group of Seven advanced democratic economies in the Bavarian Alps.

“This summit was about strengthening our alliances, meeting the challenges of our world as it is a day, and the threats we’re going to face in the future,” Biden said.