President Joe Biden will Thursday announce an end to US military support for the Saudi allies' devastating war in Yemen in a speech meant to show a reinvigorated focus on diplomacy.
Two weeks into his presidency, Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris travelled together to the State Department in a show of support for the role of diplomats.
"America is back. Diplomacy is back. You are at the center of all that I intend to do," Biden told a socially distanced auditorium of diplomats ahead of what was billed as his first major foreign policy speech as president.
"We're going rebuild our alliances. We're going re-engage 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."
Ahead of the speech, Mr Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said that the president will announce "an end to American support for offensive operations in Yemen."
"That's a promise he made in the campaign he will be following through on."
Activists have been pushing to end US support for the war in Yemen, where 80 percent of the population is surviving on aid in what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
U.S. President Joe Biden prepares to sign a series of executive orders at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office just hours after his inauguration. Source: Getty Images
The decision reverses former president Donald Trump's policy of providing logistical assistance and selling huge amounts of advanced weaponry such as precision-guided bombs.
The Trump administration defended support for the Saudis as a way to create US defense jobs and to hit back at arch-enemy Iran, which backs Huthi rebels who have overtaken much of Yemen.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he will quickly revisit Mr Trump's last-minute decision to designate the Huthis as a terrorist group - a move that aid groups warns will effectively criminalise vital humanitarian work.
In Yemen, senior political official Hamid Assem voiced hope that Biden's plan will mark the end of a six-year war that has left tens of thousands dead.
Yemenis search for survivors under the rubble of houses in the UNESCO-listed heritage site in the old city of Yemeni capital Sanaa, on June 12, 2015. Source: AFP
"The Biden administration saw that the war in Yemen carries a heavy cost and that America's reputation has been tarnished by the killing of the people of Yemen," he told AFP.
Germany troop changes frozen
Mr Biden will also freeze plans set in motion by Mr Trump to reduce the US troop presence in Germany, which has been a cornerstone of NATO security since the start of the Cold War.
"Today (President Biden) will announce... a global force posture review and during the pendency of that review will freeze any troop redeployments from Germany," Mr Sullivan said.
Mr Trump's decision was seen as linked to his tense relationship with Germany and the European Union over trade issues, but sparked concerns that he was weakening the West's security in the face of a resurgent Russia.
Mr Biden has quickly toughened Washington's posture toward Moscow.
He is blaming the Kremlin for a massive cyberattack and US presidential election meddling, and also calling out Russia over the jailing of Alexei Navalny, one of the few remaining opponents of President Vladimir Putin.
"Unlike the previous administration, we will be taking steps to hold Russia accountable for the range of malign activities that it has undertaken," Mr Sullivan said.
"We will do that at a time and a manner of our choosing," he said.
On Myanmar, Mr Biden is considering new sanctions that would target specific individuals and entities connected to the all-powerful military, which took over the country after detaining civilian leaders this week.
Alexey Navalny signs a heart to his wife through glass in custody. Source: AAP Image/Moscow City Court via AP
"We are also looking at specific targeted sanctions both on individuals and on entities controlled by the military that enrich the military," Mr Sullivan said.
Rebuilding alliances
In excerpts of the speech released by the White House, Mr Biden will call for renewed alliance-building and US leadership on the world stage.
"We must meet this new moment of accelerating global challenges - from a pandemic to the climate crisis to nuclear proliferation - challenges that will only be solved by nations working together in common cause," Mr Biden was to say.
"Over the past two weeks, I’ve spoken with the leaders of many of our closest friends - Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, France, NATO, Japan, South Korea, and Australia - to begin re-forming the habits of cooperation and rebuilding the muscles of democratic alliances that have atrophied from four years of neglect and abuse," Mr Biden was to say.
"America’s alliances are among our greatest assets. And leading with diplomacy means standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies and key partners once more."
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