United States President Joe Biden stressed on Monday the strong relationship between his country and the United Kingdom ahead of a brief meeting with the British Prime Minister in London.
Joe Biden praised the relationship between the two countries at the start of a meeting of about 40 minutes with Rishi Sunak, who was entitled to the red carpet, which is not always the case when visiting foreign leaders.
“I couldn’t find a closer friend and a bigger ally,” the Democrat said in brief statements preferred at the outset.
Rishi Sunak agreed that the US and UK are “two of NATO’s strongest allies” and must find ways to “strengthen our cooperation and shared economic security for the benefit of our citizens.”
Biden will be in the UK for a brief visit of less than 24 hours, which includes a meeting with King Charles III.
Support for Ukraine was high on the agenda of Biden and Sunak’s meeting at the British Prime Minister’s official Downing Street residence on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kyiv is expected to receive more promises in the coming days about arms deliveries and progress on joining the Alliance, but Biden has already said joining the Atlantic Alliance should only happen after the war is over.
The head of the American state landed in London on Sunday night. The visit is intended to be a sign of closeness between the two countries, whose leaders have met five times in the past five months.
However, the British press has been reporting tensions between the two countries, most recently over Washington’s alleged lack of support for British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace’s candidacy to head NATO.
The so-called “special relationship” has previously been shaken by the absence of the US president from Charles III’s coronation in May, represented by his wife Jill, and by criticism of London’s handling of the post-Brexit situation in Northern Ireland.
Over the weekend, Rishi Sunak shied away from supporting the White House’s claim to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs that are banned in many NATO countries.
The British Prime Minister stressed on Saturday that the UK is a signatory to the 2008 Oslo Convention, which bans the production and use of these weapons and therefore “doesn’t encourage” their use.
In the afternoon, the President of the United States will have tea with Charles III at the royal residence at Windsor Castle, west of London.
The heads of the two states are expected to talk mainly about the environment, the White House says, namely the conclusions of the forum on climate finance in developing countries.
After London and the NATO summit in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, Joe Biden will travel to Finland to meet with Nordic leaders.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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