Biden to focus on elections, media as democracy summit wraps

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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is looking to adjacent his two-day virtual Summit for Democracy connected Friday by shining a spotlight connected the value of predetermination integrity, countering authoritarian regimes and bolstering autarkic media.

On the summit's archetypal day, Biden announced plans for the U.S. to walk up to $424 cardinal astir the satellite to enactment autarkic media, anti-corruption enactment and more. The inaugural came arsenic helium called connected satellite leaders to enactment with him to reverse what helium called an alarming diminishment of ideology astir the globe.

“Will we let the backward descent of rights and ideology to proceed unchecked?” Biden said Thursday. “Or volition we unneurotic — unneurotic — person a imaginativeness ... and courageousness to erstwhile much pb the march of quality advancement and quality state forward?”

The president is scheduled to present closing remarks to leaders and civilian nine groups connected Friday afternoon.

Biden didn’t notation either China oregon Russia by sanction arsenic helium opened the summit. But helium has repeatedly made a lawsuit that the U.S. and like-minded allies request to amusement the satellite that democracies are a acold amended vehicle for societies than autocracies. It is simply a cardinal tenet of Biden’s overseas argumentation outlook — 1 that helium vowed would beryllium much outward looking than his predecessor Trump’s “America First” approach.

Biden underscored that adjacent long-established democracies, similar the United States, haven't been immune to the strains.

“Here successful the United States we cognize arsenic good arsenic anyone that renewing our ideology and strengthening our antiauthoritarian institutions requires changeless effort,” Biden said.

Thursday's video gathering drew backlash from the United States’ main adversaries and different nations that were not invited.

The ambassadors to the U.S. from China and Russia, two countries that did not person invitations, wrote a associated effort describing the Biden medication arsenic exhibiting a “Cold-War mentality” that volition “stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift successful the world.” The medication besides faced scrutiny implicit however it went astir deciding which countries to invite.

Other leaders astatine the acme delivered their ain remarks connected the authorities of ideology — galore prerecorded — often reflecting connected the accent that rapidly evolving exertion is having connected their nations. They besides bemoaned the summation of disinformation campaigns aimed astatine undermining institutions and elections.

“The antiauthoritarian speech is changing,” said Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “New technologies and ample tech companies are progressively mounting the signifier for the antiauthoritarian dialogue, sometimes with much accent connected scope than connected state of speech.”

The acme comes arsenic Biden is pressing Russia's Vladimir Putin to measurement backmost aft a monolithic buildup of troops connected the Ukraine border that has created increasing interest successful Washington and European capitals arsenic good arsenic Ukraine itself. Biden connected Wednesday said that helium warned Putin of “severe consequences” if Russia invaded.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who took portion successful Thursday’s acme and aboriginal spoke by telephone with Biden, said connected Twitter, “Democracy is not a given, it indispensable beryllium fought for."

Poland's Andrzej Duda spoke retired against Russia successful his address, decrying Moscow and its enactment of Belarus.

Poland and Western allies person accused Russian state Belarus of utilizing migrants arsenic pawns to destabilize the European Union successful retaliation for its sanctions connected his authoritarian regime. Hundreds of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, person flocked to the Belarus-Poland border.

Poland “took connected a committedness to beryllium a enactment for ideology successful Eastern Europe,” Duda said. “It is simply a beauteous task, but it has its consequences. It has made america the people of the Kremlin propaganda.”

Putin made nary nationalist remark connected the acme Thursday arsenic helium took portion successful his ain video telephone with members of the Kremlin assembly for quality rights.

Biden has said transition of his ambitious home docket astatine location — the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill helium signed into law, arsenic good arsenic the astir $2 trillion “Build Back Better Act” of societal and clime alteration initiatives moving done the Senate — volition show however ideology tin amended people’s lives.

Some advocates besides privation Biden to absorption much connected shoring up ideology astatine home. One aboriginal trial came Thursday arsenic the House approved the Protecting Our Democracy Act, the 3rd successful a trio of bills — alongside the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — mostly backed by Democrats. All 3 are expected to beryllium stalled by Republicans successful the Senate.

“Here successful the United States, we cognize that our ideology is not immune from threats," Vice President Kamala Harris said successful remarks to adjacent retired the archetypal time of the acme that referenced the insurrection astatine the Capitol successful January. “Jan. 6 looms ample successful our corporate conscience, and the anti-voter laws that galore states person passed are portion of an intentional effort to exclude Americans from participating successful our democracy.”

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance said successful its yearly study that the fig of countries experiencing antiauthoritarian backsliding “has ne'er been arsenic high” arsenic the past decade, with the U.S. added to the database on with India and Brazil.

Chinese officials person offered a watercourse of nationalist disapproval astir the summit. They person besides expressed outrage implicit the medication inviting Taiwan to instrumentality part. China claims the self-governing land arsenic portion of its territory and objects to it having contacts connected its ain with overseas governments.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan declined to be the conference. In a connection issued up of the meeting, the overseas ministry said, "We worth our concern with the U.S., which we privation to grow some bilaterally arsenic good arsenic successful presumption of determination and planetary cooperation.”

Yet Pakistan’s narration with the U.S. has been fraught with suspicion connected some sides. Islamabad has balked astatine Washington’s often-stated disapproval that Pakistan has not been a reliable spouse successful the warfare connected terror, accusing it of harboring the Taliban adjacent arsenic that radical fought a U.S.-led coalition. Pakistan says it has mislaid 70,000 radical to the warfare connected panic since 2001 and is acceptable to beryllium a spouse successful bid but not successful war.

Other uninvited countries person besides shown their displeasure. Hungary, the lone European Union subordinate not invited, tried unsuccessfully to artifact the EU Commission's president from speaking connected behalf of the bloc astatine the summit. Last year, Biden referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arsenic a “thug.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto dismissed the acme arsenic a “domestic political-type of event,” wherever countries whose leaders had a bully narration with Trump were not invited.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro successful Washington, Justin Spike successful Budapest, Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad, Vladimir Isachenkov successful Moscow and video shaper Liu Zheng successful Beijing contributed to this report.

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