Joe Biden to meet UK’s PM Sunak, King Charles before attending NATO Summit

LONDON: United States President, Joe Biden is set to meet with UK’s Sunak and King Charles III amid rising Ukraine concerns, ahead of a NATO Summit in Lithuania later this week. 

The President’s visit coincides with criticism over his call to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Among those who have questioned Biden, are the UK and Canada – the two countries have questioned US approval to send bombs widely banned because of the threat they pose to civilians. However, the US has defended its stance citing ‘dwindling’ weapon stock in Ukraine. 

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According to BBC reports, President Biden is set to meet with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss various issues, including the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war. According to the BBC, while PM Sunak has not directly criticized the US, on Saturday he announced that the UK is among 123 countries that signed up for the Convention on Custer Munitions, which is an international treaty banning the production and/or use of the weapons. 

On the other hand, US allies including NATO partner, New Zealand, have expressed concern the cluster bombs could result in “huge damage to innocent people”. It is worth mentioning, that typically, a cluster bomb comprises of multiple smaller bomblets that can kill many in a wide area. Sometimes they can linger on the ground for years before eventually exploding. 

Standing by its decision, the US has said it received letters of reassurance from the Kyiv administration that it will not use the weapons in Russia or in urban areas. 

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Also, during the visit, President Biden will meet with King Charles for the first time since his coronation. Following this Biden will partake in the NATO Summit in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday. Members of NATO will review defence plans and boosting ammunition stockpiles per the agenda. This will be the first time Finland will be a part of the Summit since joining in April. On the other hand, Sweden’s plans to follow suit have been blocked by Turkiye over concerns of ‘harbouring terrorists’. It is believed, Biden may seek UK support to broker a deal with Turkiye. 

It is pertinent to mention that Ukraine is also aiming to join the Western Alliance but will have to wait till the war is over. Speaking with CNN before his trip, President Biden reiterated, Ukraine could not join unless the war with Russia is over, keeping in line with the NATO policy. Biden argued that members of the alliance protect “every inch” of each other’s territories which means if one is at war, the other members are “all in war”. 

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Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accepted the decision with the request that his country be allowed to join once the war is over. President Zelensky is among those expected to join the NATO Summit in Lithuania. 

According to international media reports, the US decision to follow through on Ukraine’s request for cluster bombs came on Friday, as a part of a military package with $800 million (approximately £626 million). Speaking with CNN, President Biden said the decision had been “very difficult” but had to be acted upon as the “Ukrainians are running out of ammunition”. 

Other NATO members including Spain and Germany, have also weighed in on the situation. Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said that Spain is in favour of Ukraine’s legitimate defence but it should not be “carried out with cluster bombs”. Likewise, Germany said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the position of the US.

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