IRIA News

U.S. President Joe Biden kicked off his five-day Europe tour on July 10 morning with meetings with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III. The highlight of his trip will be the 74th NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Biden will make a final stop in Finland to participate in the U.S.-Nordic Leaders’ Summit. 

In London, Biden discussed various bilateral issues, economic partnership, and climate financing for developing nations with the British prime minister and monarch.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Sunak at 10 Downing Street, the U.S. President said that “our relationship is rock solid.” The two leaders also discussed the newly announced economic partnership Atlantic Declaration as well as developments in Northern Ireland, including “efforts to ensure continued progress there.” Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak agreed to advance economic partnership, safely develop artificial intelligence (AI) and support Ukraine, Downing Street said.

NATO summit and Ukraine support

The discussion focused on the upcoming NATO summit and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as Biden and Sunak reviewed preparations for the annual summit in Vilnius which will be attended by all 31 member states.

Shoulder to shoulder, what we stand by is what we stand for.

Freedom. Democracy. Leadership.

🇬🇧🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/n18Wj9Zp6x

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 10, 2023

President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak agreed on the need to strengthen the alliance and maintain support for Ukraine. They also discussed the progress of the counter-offensive and emphasized the importance of long-term defense and support to Ukraine. “They reaffirmed their steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression,” the White House said.

“As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever,” Sunak said in a statement. They also agreed on the need to ensure that Sweden has a swift path to full NATO accession.

“The UK is Europe’s leading NATO ally, we are the United States’ most important trade, defense, and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield,” he added.

While talking to the media before heading into a bilateral meeting with the Sunak, Biden said that “I think we’re doing well. I think we’re moving along in a way that’s positive, but our relationship is rock solid between the United States, Great Britain. And I look forward to our discussions.”

Meeting with King Charles III 

The U.S. President also met with King Charles III during his trip to London. This was the first meeting between the U.S. President and the British monarch since he ascended to the throne. President Biden arrived at Windsor Castle to meet the King where he was greeted with all the pomp and show that comes with a royal meeting.

During a gathering at the castle, U.S. President Biden, King Charles, and special envoy for climate policy John Kerry met with philanthropists and investors seeking to mobilize finances and to support the deployment of clean energy and mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis in developing countries.

Welcome to the UK, @POTUS 🇺🇸🤝🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Ow5NlFWI9t

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 10, 2023

“There’s a lot of capital in the world. But some of it’s been sitting on the sidelines. And what we need to do now is accelerate the development of new technologies and also the deployment of existing technology: solar, wind, nuclear, and so forth,” Biden said during his meeting with the King. 

Biden discusses Sweden’s NATO membership with Erdogan on call

Separately on July 9, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden had a phone conversation with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the White House statement, the two leaders discussed the range of issues that would be debated at the NATO Summit. They expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine and reviewed efforts to strengthen our bilateral ties. President Biden once again conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible.  

Following his call with the U.S. President, the Turkish leader went on to state on a televised media appearance that the European Union (EU) should open the way for Turkey’s accession to the bloc before Ankara approves Sweden’s NATO bid. 

“First, open the way to Turkey’s membership of the European Union, and then we will open it for Sweden, just as we had opened it for Finland,” Erdogan said before departing for the NATO summit in Lithuania. “This is what I told” U.S. President Joe Biden, the Turkish leader stated. 

This is the first time that the Turkish President has linked Sweden’s accession into the NATO alliance with Turkey’s bid to join the EU. Turkey first applied to be a member of the European Economic Community, a predecessor to the EU, in 1987. It became an EU candidate country in 1999 and formally launched membership negotiations with the bloc in 2005. The talks, however, stalled in 2016 over the EU’s concerns about human rights violations in Turkey.