President Joe Biden announced "America is back" on Thursday and declared that "diplomacy is back at the center" of US foreign policy.
"I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship," he said in remarks to attendees of the Munich Security Conference, an annual international security conference typically held in Germany but turned virtual this year. "But the United States is determined -- determined to reengage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trust and leadership."
He delivered his speech after making less formal remarks to State Department employees, telling them that "we're going to rebuild our alliances. We're going to reengage the world and take on the enormous challenges we face dealing with the pandemic, dealing with global warming and again, standing up for democracy and human rights around the world."
Biden announced that "we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales," and said he will appoint an envoy to focus on the long-standing conflict. He said the conflict is "a war that has created humanitarian and strategic catastrophe," but he also made clear the US will "continue to help and support Saudi Arabia."
