United States President Biden met with United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday. Biden made a brief stop in London on the eve of an annual NATO summit where leaders of the 31 members are gathering.
Both U.S. and UK leaders are scheduled to attend a two-day NATO. summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Biden’s final stop in Europe will be Helsinki, Finland, where he will hold talks with the leaders of NATO’s newest member, and attend a summit of US and Nordic leaders.
Biden meets Sunak at 10 Downing Street
Biden arrived at 10 Downing Street on July 10 morning on his first visit to the prime minister’s office as president “We’re very privileged and fortunate to have you here,” said Sunak as he welcomed Biden.
“Couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and a greater ally,” Biden said during brief remarks Monday while sitting next to Sunak. “We’re moving along in a way that’s positive. But our relationship is rock solid,” he said in his remarks before the bilateral meeting.
From 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to 10 Downing Street – our two nations couldn't have a closer friend, nor a greater ally, than one another.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 10, 2023
United. pic.twitter.com/x2UrCIyNuF
The two leaders discussed the U.S.-UK economic partnership, energy security, critical minerals agreements, safe use of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as bilateral and global issues. Biden and Sunak The leaders “discussed the Atlantic Declaration on economic partnership they launched in June, including next steps to drive toward key outcomes in the months ahead,” the White House said. They also discussed developments in Northern Ireland and efforts to ensure progress there.
Shoulder to shoulder, what we stand by is what we stand for.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 10, 2023
Freedom. Democracy. Leadership.
🇬🇧🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/n18Wj9Zp6x
NATO summit and Sweden’s NATO accession
One of the highlights of the visit was the discussion ahead to this week’s NATO summit. The leaders reviewed preparations for the upcoming summit in Vilnius. They also agreed on the need to ensure that Sweden has a swift path to full NATO accession.
Last week, President Biden welcomed Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House and assured that “The United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden’s membership in NATO.” Sweden’s application to join the alliance has been facing objections from Turkey and Hungary. Adding a new country to the alliance requires the approval of all member states.
Support for Ukraine
In London, President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak agreed to reinforce the alliance and sustain assistance to Ukraine. Deliberations included an assessment of the ongoing counter-offensive, underscoring the significance of the enduring commitment of international partners to Ukraine’s defense. Both leaders stressed the imperative of providing the necessary support for Ukraine to win the war and secure a just and lasting peace, 10 Downing Street said.
Cluster munitions: President Biden’s meeting in London follows his controversial decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite opposition from some key allies. This move contradicts the convention, signed by 123 countries, which bans the sale and use of these weapons due to their harmful impact on civilians. Sunak had emphasized that Britain “discourages” the use of the munitions and is a signatory to the convention.
However, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated that America’s allies did not express opposition to Biden’s decision, and said that Ukraine needed the weapons to safeguard its citizens.
Biden meets King Charles
Biden, 80, and King Charles III, 74, began their meeting with the most English of traditions: breakfast tea at Windsor Castle.
In his first meeting with King Charles III since his coronation, President Biden discussed the need to boost private-sector investment in combating climate change. After the meeting, they engaged with a group of leading philanthropists and investors focused on mobilizing finance to address the climate crisis. Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and U.K. Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps also met the financiers and philanthropists at the climate forum at Windsor Castle.
Buckingham Palace said the king’s meeting with Joe Biden was “an extremely cordial and successful meeting that touched on a wide variety of issues of mutual interest and concern.”
Welcome to the UK, @POTUS 🇺🇸🤝🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Ow5NlFWI9t
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 10, 2023
