Biden begins three-country tour with stop in London

STANSTED, England, July 9 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Britain on Sunday, beginning a three-country trip that will be dominated by a NATO summit in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine in their fight against Russia, although they still do not accept Kiev as a member of the alliance.

But the challenges of forging solidarity among NATO’s 31 member countries were highlighted in a call between Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the alliance’s summit in Lithuania this week, and Sweden’s bid for NATO membership. Western alliance remains a point of contention.

Biden landed at Stansted airport and boarded a Marine One helicopter bound for central London, where he will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street on Monday. She will later travel to Windsor Castle to visit King Charles.

The talks with the king, which are expected to include climate initiatives, will give Biden a greater sense of the man who succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after her death last September.

Biden had tea with the queen in Windsor in June 2021, and they discussed many of the same issues that remain top priorities today, such as Russia and China.

Biden will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday night and hold talks with NATO leaders there on Tuesday and Wednesday. Biden and NATO allies aim to show their support for Ukraine and give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy an idea of ​​what will need to be done to win NATO membership in the future.

In a CNN interview ahead of his trip, Biden urged caution for now on Ukraine’s path to joining NATO, saying the alliance could be drawn into war with Russia because of Ukraine’s mutual defense pact. NATO.

“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO on whether or not to include Ukraine in the NATO family now, right now, in the middle of a war,” Biden said.

Zelenskiy said an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO would send a message that the Western defense alliance is not afraid of Moscow. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO, and Zelenskiy said that would be one of his goals in Vilnius in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

“I’ll be there and I’ll do everything I can to, if you will, expedite that solution, have an agreement with our partners,” Zelenskiy said on ABC’s “This Week.”

The entry into NATO of Sweden, whose accession to the alliance has been blocked by both Hungary and Turkey, will be on the agenda in Vilnius. New members must be unanimously approved by all existing NATO members.

Biden discussed Sweden’s candidacy for NATO in a call with Erdoganand “conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden to NATO as soon as possible,” the White House said in a statement on Sunday.

Erdogan told Biden that Sweden must do more to contain supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which he views as a terrorist group and which continues to hold demonstrations in Sweden, Erdogan’s office said.

‘CONFIDENT’ ALLIANCE

A centerpiece of Biden’s visit to Lithuania will be a speech he will deliver at Vilnius University on Wednesday night.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the speech will cover Biden’s vision of “a strong and confident America flanked by strong and confident allies and partners taking up the important challenges of our time, from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to the climate crisis”.

One of Biden’s goals is to show Americans at home the importance of continuing to support Ukraine as he faces re-election. Some of her Republican rivals in the November 2024 presidential race have expressed doubts about his strategy.

solid majorities of Americans support arms supply Ukraine to fend off Russia and believes such aid shows China and other US rivals a willingness to protect US interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted late last month.

Some Democratic lawmakers on Sunday raised concerns about Biden’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Artillery shells launch dozens of mini-bombs that cause destruction over wide areas, and unexploded ordnance can pose a hazard for decades.

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters Sunday that Ukraine, in written assurances, said it would not use cluster bombs in Russia or in populated areas.

Biden’s last stop will be in Helsinki for talks with the leaders of NATO’s newest member, Finland, and to attend a summit of American and Nordic leaders.

Reporting by Steve Holland; Edited by Franklin Paul, Andrea Ricci, and Leslie Adler

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