US President-elect Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN that he intends to adhere to a multilateral approach towards Iran, Russia, China and other countries.

Biden paid special attention to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The politician stressed that Washington cannot allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons, and also once again criticized Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal in 2018.

According to the president-elect, thanks to this step, the Iranian authorities only came close to the possibility of obtaining nuclear weapons.

“All these problems, it seems to me, will be very difficult to solve.

But I know one thing: we can't do it alone.

That is why, in order to solve a whole range of problems concerning not only Iran, but also Russia, China and others, we must be part of a large group, ”Biden said.

Recall that Biden had previously criticized Trump for withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

On the eve, he announced that he intends to return to negotiations with Tehran after taking office as head of state.

"Sit at the head of the table"

Note that Biden has been talking for a long time about the restoration of the old relations between the United States and its allies.

Back in the spring, in a column for Foreign Affairs magazine, he promised to hold a Summit for Democracy if he won the election.

According to the politician, over the years of Trump's presidency, the authority and influence of the United States in the world has decreased.

Biden is sure that the 45th owner of the White House systematically neglected allied relations with Washington's partners.

To restore the country's former reputation, the American authorities must strengthen democracy in their own country, Biden wrote at the time.

To this end, he promised to carry out a series of reforms in the event of his victory.

  • Joe Biden

  • Reuters

  • © Kevin Lamarque

At the same time, Biden intends to invite the leaders of other countries to return the issues of strengthening democracy to the international agenda.

A summit dedicated to this is planned for the first year of the Democrat's presidency.

Civil society organizations from all countries will be invited to participate in such an event.

“Working with other countries that share our values ​​and goals is not a testament to the stupidity of the United States,” Biden wrote.

He stressed that for the White House, this cooperation is "a guarantee of increased security and greater success."

“We are increasing our own strength, expanding our presence in the world and increasing our influence, while simultaneously sharing global responsibility with interested partners,” says Biden's policy paper.

Commenting on Biden's current foreign policy statements and his previous policy theses, analysts state that the president-elect is preparing to "return the United States to a typical neoliberal paradigm."


“He wants America to lead the collective West.

This is necessary in order to advance the interests of the United States, presenting them as the position of the entire Western world.

Biden intends to present the same claims of Washington to China as the opinion of a number of states, ”Andrei Suzdaltsev, deputy dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics, explained to RT.

In his opinion, the Biden administration will do everything possible to recreate a mechanism for internationally negotiating sanctions against countries such as Russia and China.

“The US is defiantly returning to the course of the times of Obama and Clinton, but there is a serious split in American society on this issue.

And in the world, this policy led at one time to chaos, because Washington could not cope with global leadership, ”added Suzdaltsev.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Vasiliev, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, RAS.

“The question of whether the desire of the authorities for world hegemony is useful for the Americans is the main subject of controversy in America.

The phenomenon of Trump's popularity was due to the fact that the global interests of the United States were achieved before him at the expense of the American people.

Under Biden, this course will be revived so that the United States can "sit at the head of the table" of Western countries, "the expert explained in an interview with RT.

"Nostalgia for the Obama days"

The European Union has already welcomed Joe Biden's proposal to host the Summit for Democracy.

This is stated in the strategy for restarting relations with Washington, which was developed and published by the European Commission.


“Through concrete proposals for cooperation with the future Biden administration, we are making it clear to our American friends and allies: let's look to the future, not the past, let's breathe new life into our relationship,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Policy security Josep Borrell, presenting the strategy.

The new transatlantic agenda covers four areas: fighting the coronavirus pandemic, climate issues, trade and strengthening democracy.

  • Josep Borrell

  • Reuters

  • © Olivier Matthys / Pool

The document also notes that "transatlantic cooperation on Russia will continue to be of key importance", especially with regard to compliance with international law.

“This implies, among other things, the protection of the territorial integrity and energy security of our Eastern partners.

Ukraine is among the priority partner countries for which US support is vital for joint security and an ambitious reform program, ”the strategy says.

At the same time, earlier the head of European diplomacy noted that relations between the United States and the European Union are unlikely to return to the level they were before Trump's presidency. 

Borrell expressed confidence that Biden will not view Europe as an enemy, the US and the EU will continue to be allies and partners.

“But we have to be realistic: over the years, there have been great changes in the foundation of American society, which will remain after Trump,” Borrell quoted El Pais as saying.

Vladimir Vasiliev agrees with this assessment.

“Much has changed in the international arena over the years that Trump has been in power.

And European leaders have a nostalgia for the days of Obama, ”the expert noted.

Friendship one way

Political analysts remind that a noticeable cooling in relations between the United States and its allies came when Trump became the head of the White House, who significantly transformed Washington's foreign policy.

So, one of Trump's first steps in the presidency was the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate agreement - the White House announced this in June 2017.

Europe reacted negatively to this decision.

Recall that the agreement was adopted in 2015 by 197 states.

The agreement is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere in order to prevent the average annual temperature on the planet from rising by more than 2 ° C from pre-industrial levels.

Today, 189 countries participate in the document - the European Union, which ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016, remains an active supporter of it.

In addition, in 2018, Donald Trump announced Washington's withdrawal from the agreement from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program.

The agreement was signed in 2015 by Iran and the countries of the Six - the USA, Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Germany.

Under the terms of this agreement, Iran was exempted from sanctions in exchange for guarantees not to develop nuclear weapons.

  • Signing of the Paris Climate Agreement by the US Secretary of State in 2016

  • AFP

  • © Jemal Countess / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA

After withdrawing from the deal, Washington not only reinstated restrictive measures against Iran, but also extended them to third countries.

European companies that would continue cooperation with Iran could also fall under American restrictions. 

The Trump administration has also changed US trade policies.

In 2018, Washington raised tariffs on imports of aluminum and steel from Europe, Canada and Mexico.

In Paris, this decision of the American side was compared with the beginning of a trade war - this was announced then by the Minister of Economy and Finance of France Bruno Le Maire.

“Everyone in the G20 understands that a trade war is a reality and there is a risk to global growth,” Le Maire quoted Reuters as saying.

According to experts, the optimism of European leaders, caused by the results of the American elections, is premature.

“The European Union is a subject of international relations, but due to the fact that the United States plays the main role in NATO, the EU still links its future with American interests.

In theory, Biden's coalition approach should eliminate chaos in the international coordinate system.

But in reality, we are talking about an attempt to subordinate the world to American interests, so the chaos will only intensify, ”says Andrei Suzdaltsev.

In turn, Vladimir Vasiliev has no doubts that the new US administration will try to use such a "coalition approach" primarily against Russia.

“Biden's victory will mean strengthening the anti-Russian front from among the US allies.

The cooperation Biden talks about will be aimed solely at achieving American interests.

The United States will try, through collective tactics, to shift most of the costs of pressure on Russia and other countries onto its allies, and leave only the benefits for itself, ”the expert concluded.