Biden to meet King Charles, PM Sunak ahead of NATO summit

Biden to meet King Charles, PM Sunak ahead of NATO summit

U.S. President Joe Biden will look to deepen his relationships with Britain’s King Charles and Prime Minster Rishi Sunak at separate conferences on Monday the place local weather change and Ukraine are anticipated to dominate the agenda.

Biden landed in London late on Sunday to kick off a three-nation journey together with a NATO summit in Lithuania geared toward exhibiting solidarity with Ukraine towards Russia’s invasion whereas not but accepting Kyiv as a member of the alliance.

On Monday at Windsor Castle, the 80-year-old president and the 74-year-old king will focus on the best way to assist increase personal funding to fight local weather change, a menace each leaders say is existential.

“The president has huge respect for the king’s commitment on the climate issue in particular. He has been a clarion voice on this issue,” White House nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan instructed reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

Sullivan mentioned Biden hopes to deepen his private relationship with King Charles. He mentioned the 2 leaders – who do not know one another effectively – had a telephone dialog earlier this 12 months that he described as “incredibly warm”.

The king will obtain Biden within the quadrangle of the fortress, the place a guard of honour will give a Royal Salute and the U.S. nationwide anthem will likely be performed, the king’s workplace mentioned.

Biden met the king’s late mom, Queen Elizabeth, for tea at Windsor in 2021.

Earlier, the president will journey to 10 Downing Street on to carry a low-key assembly with Sunak, their fifth in as many months. Sullivan mentioned the go to is extra of a continuation of a long-running dialog than a proper assembly. It will mark Biden’s first go to to Downing Street as president.

Sullivan mentioned the 2 leaders would share notes earlier than the NATO summit in Lithuania, which kicks off on Tuesday and will likely be dominated by the Ukraine disaster, which has introduced members of the alliance nearer.

Ahead of the journey, Biden urged warning for now on Ukraine’s marketing campaign to affix NATO, saying the alliance might get drawn into the battle with Russia resulting from NATO’s mutual protection pact.

“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden mentioned in a CNN interview that aired Sunday.

Biden’s journey comes a number of days after he agreed to ship U.S. cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Such munitions are banned by greater than 100 international locations, together with the United Kingdom, resulting from their menace to civilian populations as a result of they usually launch massive numbers of smaller bomblets that may kill indiscriminately over a large space.

Russia, Ukraine and the United States haven’t signed on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans manufacturing, stockpiling, use and switch of the weapons.

“I think you find Prime Minister Sunak and President Biden on the same page strategically on Ukraine, in lock step on the bigger picture on what we are trying to accomplish, and as united as ever,” Sullivan mentioned on Sunday.

Sunak, requested about cluster munitions on Saturday, mentioned Britain was a signatory to the conference that daunts their use, and mentioned it will preserve doing its half to help Ukraine.

Source: www.anews.com.tr