US Prez Biden arrives in UK, to meet PM Sunak, King Charles; will hold talks with Erdogan at NATO summit

Embarking on a Europe tour, US President Joe Biden arrivedin the UK on Sunday (July 9) evening for a brief visit. Biden is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and separately discuss climate change with King Charles before joining the NATO summit in Lithuania.

The US president’s visit to Londoncomes ahead of the NATO summit on July 11-12. Prior to his departure for his multi-nation tour, the White House said the trip was designed “to further strengthen the close relationship between our nations”.

Biden departed for Britain from the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday. He will meet King Charles III and UK PM Rishi Sunak after which he will fly to Vilnius for the NATO summit. The last stop on his tourwill be to the new member of the US-led alliance, Finland.

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Biden’s visit to the UK

During his visit to Britain, the US president will meet the British PM, at Downing Street, on Monday in a low-key meeting where the two leaders are expected to discuss the upcoming NATO summit and the war in Ukraine.

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“As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever,” said the Sunak’s office, in a statement.

The incumbent British PM has also somewhat repaired ties that had cooled under his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss due to their tough stance over a post-Brexit deal with the European Union.

“The UK is Europe’s leading NATO ally, we are the United States’ most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield,” said Sunak, in a statement ahead of Biden’s visit.

US president to meet King Charles III for the first time

According to the British monarch’s office, Biden will be received by King Charles III at Windsor Castle’s quadrangle where a guard of honour will give a Royal Salute and the US national anthem will be played.

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The US president and the British monarch will discuss climate issues, said the White House, a subject on which Charles has campaigned and spoken out for over 50 years.

While Biden met Charles during a visit for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth last year, he did not attend his coronation, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead.

Biden and Erdogan to meet at NATO: Ankara

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Biden on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit, said the Turkish presidency, on Sunday. However, the statement did not indicate when the meeting will be held.

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According to Erdogan’s office, the talks between the two leaders will focus on “Ukraine’s position in NATO, Sweden’s NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16” fighter jets, which Turkey has sought and hopes to secure from the US.

The statement from the Turkish presidency said that Biden and Erdogan also held a call where they discussed Sweden’s NATO bid. Following the call, the US president said, Erdogan “still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”

However, the Turkish president reiterated his longstanding position, on Sunday, about Sweden’s perceived lax attitude toward alleged Kurdish militants living there and that Stockholm needed to crack down harder.

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“Sweden has taken some steps in the right direction by making changes to its anti-terrorism legislation,” Erdogan told Biden, as quoted by the Turkish presidency.

This comes as Erdogan is also set to hold NATO-organised talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, on Monday, a day ahead of the military alliance’s leadership summit in the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius.

(With inputs from agencies)

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