U.S. President Barack Obama returned Monday night to Washington from a weeklong trip that took him to Saudi Arabia, Britain and Germany.
During his journey, Obama sought to shore up U.S. alliances that he views as key to growing trade, defeating Islamic State militants, and offsetting Russian aggression in Ukraine and Syria.
The U.S. leader, who used one of his final foreign trips to start trying to shape his legacy, said in a speech Monday in Germany that he sees Europe facing a "defining moment.'' He urged the continent's leaders to pay attention to income inequality, education for young people and equal pay for women.
"If we do not solve these problems, we start seeing those who would try to exploit these fears and frustrations and channel them in a destructive way,'' Obama said.
