Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden were seen sitting in the Downing Street Garden.
London/Windsor:
US President Joe Biden on Monday boasted a “solid” friendship with Britain, Washington’s closest ally, at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office in London for talks on the way to a planned NATO summit in a show of Western resolve on Ukraine. Arrived.
Biden arrived in London late Sunday to begin a three-nation tour including a NATO summit in Lithuania, in which the allies aim to show solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, while not yet accepting Kiev as an alliance member. Has gone.
Both sides played down the president’s meeting with Sunak, their fifth in as many months, calling it a continuation of long-standing discussions, though it marked Biden’s first meeting with the British prime minister on Downing Street as president. First visit to office.
Biden is also scheduled to meet King Charles later on Monday, following the long-standing practice of US presidents not attending his coronation in May. They are expected to discuss climate change, an issue the monarch has long acknowledged.
“It’s great to continue our conversation,” Sunak told Biden, seated in the Downing Street garden.
Biden replied, “We have a lot to talk about.” “Our relationship is very strong.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the two leaders will share notes ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania that begins Tuesday and will be overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis.
Prior to the trip, Biden urged caution on Ukraine’s campaign to join NATO, saying that NATO’s mutual defense pact could lead the alliance to war with Russia.
“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO on whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family, at this point in time, in the middle of a war,” Biden said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday.
cluster munitions
Biden’s visit comes days after the US agreed to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.
More than 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, have banned such munitions, which are seen as a danger to civilian populations because they typically release large numbers of small bombs that kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Can
Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use and transfer of weapons.
Sullivan said Sunday, “I think you get Prime Minister Sunak and President Biden on the same page strategically on Ukraine, take a look at the bigger picture on what we’re trying to accomplish, And united as ever.”
Sunak was asked on Saturday about cluster weapons, he said Britain is a signatory to the convention that discourages their use, and said it would continue to play its part to support Ukraine.
After their freak meeting, the 80-year-old president will travel to Windsor Castle to meet the 74-year-old monarch and discuss how to help spur private investment to tackle climate change, a threat both leaders say is existential. .
“The president has a lot of respect for King’s commitment, especially on the climate issue. He’s been an outspoken voice on this issue,” Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
Sullivan said Biden looks forward to deepening his personal relationship with the British monarch. Biden has previously praised Charles for his leadership on climate issues.
The king’s office said the king would welcome Biden in the quadrangle of the palace, where a royal salute would be given with a guard of honor and the US national anthem would be played.
Biden and Charles – who do not know each other well – had a phone conversation earlier this year that Sullivan described as “incredibly warm”. Biden attended the funeral of the king’s late mother Queen Elizabeth last year, and First Lady Jill Biden attended the new king’s coronation.
Their meeting comes at a time when Sunak has faced criticism over his commitment to environmental issues.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV Staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)