U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to arrive in Britain on Sunday for a short visit, during which he will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and engage in climate change discussions
with King Charles in preparation for the upcoming NATO summit.
The White House stated that the purpose of the trip is to further strengthen the close relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.
On Monday, President Biden will travel to Downing Street to hold a low-key meeting with Prime Minister Sunak. This will mark their fifth meeting in as many months, occurring just a month after their agreement in Washington to collaborate on advanced technologies, clean energy, and critical minerals through the "Atlantic Declaration."
Sunak's spokesperson mentioned that their discussions would likely encompass the upcoming NATO summit and the situation in Ukraine.
"In the face of new and unprecedented challenges to our security and economy, our alliances are more crucial than ever," Sunak remarked in a statement released by his office on Saturday.
He further emphasized the UK's role as Europe's leading NATO ally, the United States' key trade, defense, and diplomatic partner, and their active support for Ukraine on the battlefield. Sunak, who studied at California's Stanford University and owns a penthouse flat in Santa Monica, has made efforts to repair the relationship with Biden that had cooled under his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss due to their firm stance on the post-Brexit deal with the European Union and Johnson's close ties to Donald Trump.
While President Biden's meeting with Sunak holds significance, a more high-profile aspect of his visit is his meeting with King Charles at Windsor Castle, located to the west of London. The castle previously hosted President Barack Obama in 2016 and President Trump in 2018, during visits by Queen Elizabeth.
President Biden and King Charles are expected to discuss climate issues, a topic that the 74-year-old monarch has been actively campaigning and advocating for over the past five decades. Their paths previously crossed at the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Scotland two years ago, where Biden commended Charles for his leadership in the field, stating, "We need you badly." Charles graciously responded, "You are very kind for saying that."
Following the meetings in the UK, President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak will depart for Lithuania, where NATO leaders will convene for a pivotal summit. Biden is also anticipated to travel to Helsinki for a meeting with Nordic leaders after the summit. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.