Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden were seen sitting in the Downing Street garden.
London/Windsor:
US President Joe Biden touted a “rock solid” friendship with Washington’s closest ally, Britain, on Monday when he stopped by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s London office for talks ahead of a NATO summit scheduled to demonstrate Western resolve. about Ukraine.
Biden landed in London late Sunday to kick off a three-country tour, including the NATO summit in Lithuania, where allies want to show solidarity with Ukraine against the Russian invasion while not yet accepting Kiev as an alliance member.
Both sides downplayed the president’s meeting with Sunak, their fifth in as many months, describing it as a continuation of long-running discussions, even though it was Biden’s first visit as president to the UK Prime Minister’s office in Downing Street.
Biden will also meet King Charles later on Monday, having skipped his coronation in May in keeping with the long-standing practice of US presidents. They are expected to discuss climate change, a cause the monarch has long embraced.
“Great for us to continue our talks,” Sunak told Biden as they sat in the Downing Street garden.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Biden replied. “Our relationship is rock solid.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the two leaders would share notes for the NATO summit in Lithuania, which kicks off Tuesday and will be dominated by the Ukraine crisis.
Ahead of the trip, Biden urged caution about Ukraine’s campaign to join NATO for now, saying the alliance could be drawn into the war with Russia because of NATO’s mutual defense pact.
“I don’t think there is a consensus within NATO about whether or not to include Ukraine in the NATO family right now, in the middle of a war,” Biden said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday.
CLUSTER MUNITIONS
Biden’s trip comes a few days after he agreed to send US cluster munitions to Ukraine.
Such munitions are banned by over 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, and are seen as a threat to the civilian population as they typically release large numbers of smaller bombs that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area.
Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed the Cluster Munitions Convention, which bans the production, stockpiling, use and transfer of weapons.
“I think you find Prime Minister Sunak and President Biden strategically on the same page about Ukraine, aligned with the bigger picture of what we are trying to accomplish, and as united as ever,” Sullivan said on Sunday.
Sunak, asked about cluster munitions on Saturday, said Britain has signed the convention that discourages their use, and said it would continue to do its part to support Ukraine.
Following his meeting in Sunak, the 80-year-old president travels to Windsor Castle to see the 74-year-old king to discuss how he can help boost private investment to combat climate change, a threat both leaders say is existential.
“The president has tremendous respect for the king’s commitment to climate change in particular. He was a clarion call on this issue,” Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
Sullivan said Biden hopes to deepen his personal relationship with the British monarch. Biden previously praised Charles for his leadership on climate issues.
The king will receive Biden in the castle’s quadrangle, where a guard of honor will pay a royal salute and the US national anthem will be played, the king’s office said.
Biden and Charles – who don’t 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 after Sunak has faced criticism for his commitment to environmental issues.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)