Joe Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed to hold a high-level meeting on UK-US economic relations and vowed to strengthen their alliance over Ukraine during a brief meeting in Downing Street.
According to the British account of the talks, the meeting in October will be used to advance the Atlantic Declaration framework agreed by the two leaders in Washington last month. The two nations have begun work on a critical minerals agreement, according to the British readout, which said the men also discussed Indo-Pacific geopolitics and efforts to protect the Northern Ireland peace process.
The US president held talks with the British premier before heading to Windsor Castle for a meeting with King Charles III. He’s then set to travel to Lithuania for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s summit, which starts Tuesday. Amanda Sloat, US National Security Council senior director for Europe, told reporters that Biden will “compare notes” with Sunak on their support for Ukraine and on its counter-offensive against Russia.
The meeting came as some allies questioned Biden’s decision to send cluster bombs to support Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression. Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters the US faced a “difficult choice” over the munitions, as he sought to downplay any differences between the UK and US over Ukraine. Blain also said Sunak raised the issue of Ukraine joining NATO, and said the aim is to get allies on the same page.
“The prime minister believes and has said previously that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO and we want to work with the US and our allies on the pathway for Ukraine to try and get aligned,” Blain told reporters at a regular briefing.
More than 100 countries have agreed to ban the use of cluster munitions, in part because of the danger to civilians. That includes many of NATO’s 31 member countries. While the UK adheres to the ban, the US says the bombs are needed because Ukraine’s weapon stocks are dwindling.
Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK are among the NATO members raising objections or making it clear they won’t follow the US’s lead.
But both Biden and Sunak appeared determined to sound a positive note about the state of relations. As the talks began in the Downing Street garden, Biden described his relationship with Sunak as “rock solid” and that he “couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and a greater ally.”
Blain said the October talks will seek to make progress on a potential trade pact over critical minerals like cobalt, graphite and nickel that would make UK automakers qualify for electric-vehicle subsidies.
The two leaders also discussed how to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland, Blain said. That is an area of keen interest for Biden, who has previously expressed concern about the impact of Brexit on the region.
After the Sunak meeting, Biden met with the king, their first talks since Charles’s coronation.
Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps will meet financiers and philanthropists at the Climate Finance Mobilization Forum in Windsor on Monday, aimed at driving private investment in tackling climate change. The King and Biden will talk with participants following the discussions.
“Today is about uniting with our US allies and key enablers, using this world-leading expertise for the benefit of not just our own economies but those that will be most affected by climate change impacts,” Shapps said in an email.
--With assistance from Jennifer Jacobs, Stuart Biggs and Justin Sink.