President Joe Biden on Saturday began a week-long series of meetings with foreign counterparts during which he will cast the U.S. as a solid and reliable friend of Asian leaders who are unnerved by North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s influence in the region.
In brief remarks at the start of a conference of Southeast Asian nations, Biden made clear that he also wants to use the summit to rally regional allies and pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war with Ukraine.
“Together we will tackle the biggest issues of our time, from climate to health security, defend against the significant threats to rule-based order and to threats to the rule of law,” Biden said at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
