Rishi Rolls Out Red Carpet for Biden Despite Repeated US Snubs

US President Joe Biden’s Monday meeting in London with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - their fifth in the past five months – was billed by the White House as an opportunity for the leaders of the transatlantic alliance to “touch base” and “compare notes” on issues such as support for Ukraine before heading over to the NATO summit in Vilnius.

US President Joe Biden has arrived in the UK for a brief stopover on the eve of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s summit in Vilnius on July 11-12. His fleeting foray to London will involve a face-to-face with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as a meeting with King Charles III at Windsor Castle for the first time since the monarch’s coronation, which the POTUS had given a miss, like his predecessors.

Biden is possibly going to talk about the other post-Brexit contentious issue - the arrangements for Northern Ireland - a matter he has repeatedly indicated was close to his heart. Biden's blunt remark when he traveled to Northern Ireland in April “to make sure the Brits didn’t screw around” had left a sour taste in London.

Another recent sore point between the two sides has been the “reservations” the United States had reportedly shown regarding UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace's candidacy for the post of NATO secretary general. Wallace had hankered for the top NATO job, in a bid to take over from incumbent NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who has since had his term extended by another year. But while the debate was on, amid reports that the EU would not accept a candidate from a country that is not part of the bloc, Sunak’s defense chief could have done with a firm nod in his favor by Biden. This never happened, amid media speculations that some US military officials were dissatisfied with the way he had set the pace on the Ukraine issue.

Sputnik takes a look at what is likely to top the agenda, and what recent disagreements the sides are hoping to bridge.

'Comparing Notes' on Ukraine Support

The White House said ahead of the visit that Biden would seek to "touch base on developments" around Ukraine with Sunak before the NATO gathering. The US commander-in-chief landed in the UK amid criticism from both NATO allies and top lawmakers within his own Democratic Party over his call to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. This ammo is being transferred to prop up Kiev's stuttering counteroffensive, and to make up for how fast Ukrainian forces are using up their other artillery. As support for the Kiev regime is bound to take center stage in the discussion between Biden and Sunak, reverberating disapproval of the US move is expected to overshadow talks.

The Pentagon announced the planned transfer of cluster munitions as part of a new $800 million military assistance package for Ukraine on Friday afternoon. The 46th president invoked his power under the Foreign Assistance Act, to bypass a Congressional law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1 percent.

The UK is one of the countries that banned the use, transfer, production and stockpiling of the lethal cluster munitions. After the US announcement, Sunak pointed to the aforementioned treaty, emphasizing that Britain "discourages” the use of cluster bombs, but doubled down on his country's otherwise unwavering intention to continue propping up the regime in Kiev.

Ukraine's NATO Bid

Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak are also expected to address Ukraine's clamor to join NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been touring European countries in an effort to lobby for entry to the US-led military bloc. Earlier in June, the comedian-turned-president said that Kiev had hoped to receive a clear invitation to join the bloc at the alliance's gathering in the Lithuanian capital. The issue of Ukraine's membership has generated discord within NATO allies. There have been reports that Washington and Berlin were being pressured to demonstrate more support for Ukraine on the issue.

Ukraine applied for a fast-tracked membership in NATO in September 2022, following the start of the Russian military operation in February of that year. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has, on numerous occasions, said that the bloc was supportive of Kiev's aspirations but was not ready to approve its application right away, chiefly due to Ukraine's active involvement in the armed conflict.

However, as leaders of the alliance gear up to convene for the Vilnius summit, US officials noted that Kiev was not yet eligible to join the bloc.

Joe Biden, who had been offering up ambiguous statements on the matter, saying not long ago that his administration would not “make it easy” for Kiev to join, finally offered more clarity. He added that he had told Zelensky the US would keep providing Ukraine with security and weapons.

In late June, deputy head of Zelensky's office, Ihor Zhovkva, told UK media that the president would not attend July's NATO Summit in Lithuania's capital Vilnius if the leaders of the alliance's member states fail to show "courage" to invite Ukraine to join the bloc. However, Stoltenberg reiterated that the summit would not discuss a formal invitation, but rather ways to "move Ukraine closer to NATO."

Elsewhere, there have been indications that Biden and Sunak would also broach such issues as attempting to broker a deal with Turkiye, which has been blocking Sweden from joining NATO.

Trade Ambitions

The fresh face-to-face between Biden and Sunak comes as the optics of the much-touted so-called “special relationship” between London and Washington have been under strain in recent years, especially post-Brexit. After the UK opted to quit the European Union in 2016, London had nurtured grand ambitions of a free trade deal. It had been singled out as a priority both by Boris Johnson and his fleeting successor, Liz Truss – but that never happened. When Rishi Sunak signed the “Atlantic Declaration” with Biden in June, he pasted on a smile, although in effect the document was a watered-down version of a full-fledged free trade deal Britain had hoped for. Sunak conceded that such an agreement was no longer “a priority”.

The “Atlantic Declaration” is a potential Critical Minerals trade pact. It could result in the US and the UK entering into a trade deal over critical materials like cobalt, graphite, and nickel - crucial to batteries used in electric vehicles. Were the pact to be hammered out, and approved in both countries, Americans buying electric cars from UK automakers could qualify for a $3,750 tax credit under the POTUS' Inflation Reduction Act.

John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, said on Sunday the Northern Ireland issue will make up a "critical component" of their discussion.

While visiting the UK, Biden will also meet King Charles III for the first time since the coronation ceremony, which he had delegated his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, to attend.

The 46th US president will travel to Windsor Castle to take in a display of pageantry before taking in tea with the monarch. Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps will be huddling with financiers at the Climate Finance Mobilisation Forum in Windsor, focusing on tackling climate change.

As for the final outcome of the Biden-Sunak meeting, it will not result in a “significant joint statement”, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Sunday. The two leaders would be “picking up an ongoing conversation,” he added.