• US Vice President Joe Biden leaves the White House for a week of international diplomacy.
• G7 and NATO summits will take place in the shadow of Russia’s Ukraine invasion.
• Domestic political turmoil over abortion has overshadowed Biden’s trip to Europe, with midterm elections on November 4th.

President Joe Biden left the White House on Saturday for a week of diplomacy, also making his visibility at the NATO summit coming week. n which he hopes to strengthen the Western alliance against Russia and address challenges from China, all while being overshadowed by domestic political turmoil over abortion.

Biden was on his way to an opulent castle in Germany’s Alps for a G7 summit with leaders from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. He will travel to Madrid for a NATO summit next week.

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Both sessions will take place in the shadow of Russia’s Ukraine invasion, but also a global surge in inflation, fears of recession, and the ever-growing challenge of containing China while avoiding open conflict.

Biden has gained widespread praise for restoring US leadership of its European and Asian alliances. The response to Russia in particular has seen strong transatlantic unity, both for arming the Ukrainians and imposing powerful economic sanctions against Moscow.

But Biden, like several European leaders, is facing pressure at home over fallout from the sanctions, which have helped drive up fuel prices, imposing a heavy drag on economies exiting the Covid-19 shutdown.

Biden is also burdened at home by a tense political situation ahead of November midterm elections that could see Republicans take back control of Congress for the next two years.

A ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday to end decades of federal protections for access to abortion has opened a new battlefield, with Biden calling on voters to make it a key issue in November.

Read More: G7 and NATO leaders will increase pressure on Russia and monitor China, according to U.S. officials

He returned to the issue on Saturday before departing for Europe, saying the Supreme Court had made a “shocking decision.”

“I know how painful and devastating the decision is for so many Americans,” he said.