US, EU to seek unity in the face of crises at summit

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Joe Biden welcomes European leaders Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen in Washington Friday, at a summit set to deliver a message of unity on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

The EU-US summit takes place against a backdrop of global crises, as fighting rages on in Ukraine while Israel declared war on Hamas after a surprise attack by the group this month.

American and European leaders will be keen to present a united front, seeking to strengthen their "strategic partnership."

Drawing parallels between Russia's war in Ukraine and Hamas's assault on Israel, European Commission President Von der Leyen said in a speech on Thursday that "these two crises, however different, call on Europe and America to take a stand and to stand together," in order to "shelter our democracies."

In particular, both sides are looking to avoid a potential second front in the Israel-Hamas conflict that would see the involvement of the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon -- or a regional escalation with unpredictable ramifications.

"It's particularly important that we redouble our efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure that this conflict does not spill outside of its borders," said an EU official on condition of anonymity.

The summit will be an opportunity "to send clear unified messages to all parties in the conflict," the official told reporters ahead of the gathering.

But a key issue at stake will be leaders' ability to show strong, ongoing support for Ukraine.Biden, who has just returned from a visit to Tel Aviv, addressed Americans on Thursday evening in a bid to unite them behind the defense of Israel and Ukraine -- and
secure the political consensus he needs to fund both causes.

Hamas militants stormed into Israel on October 7 and have killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.

More than 3,700 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in Israeli bombardments in retaliation, said the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.

The stakes are high with Congress now paralyzed for more than two weeks as divided Republicans, who hold the majority in the House