How has President Biden fared in his first appearance on the world stage?

“There is a growing recognition over the last couple years that we have new challenges... We have Russia, which is acting in a way that is not consistent with what we had hoped, and we have China,” said Joe Biden as he arrived at the latest Nato summit in Brussels.

That neatly sums up the main aims of the US president on this international tour – at least in terms of foreign policy.

The other G7 nations and Nato members were hoping for confirmation that Biden would be a different kind of president to his predecessor, Donald Trump – something the 46th president made sure to offer in spades. From declaring that “America is back at the table” to reinforcing the Atlantic Charter with Boris Johnson and stating that “Nato is critically important for US interests”, Biden was very much the reassuring presence.

However, things will take time. The fact that Biden’s administration has yet to have ambassadors to much of the G7 confirmed, or appointed an ambassador to Nato, may leave some in Europe feeling nervous.

The G7 did agree to the Build Back Better World partnership, which involves areas like climate and digital technology. The initiative is a counterweight to China’s Belt and Road programme that has allowed Beijing’s influence in a number of developing nations to grow.

This is the type of diplomatic win Biden will have wanted from the summits this week – not least because Trump’s disdain for the way US deals were constructed with nations in Europe pushed some nations towards closer cooperation with Beijing. Biden will know that if relationships with the G7 and Nato members are to be rebuilt successfully, then they will have to be nurtured carefully.

Certainly the G7 could be painted as a success for Biden, even if some advocates believe the US (and the G7 at large) have not gone far enough when it comes to big global issues like the climate crisis and the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Nato agreeing that China is a security threat, when it traditionally faces towards Moscow, is another important diplomatic step for Biden.

The US knows it will need its allies in confronting China and Russia – Biden and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, are set to meet on Wednesday – and the White House will believe that message has been sent.