Biden to meet British PM and King Charles ahead of NATO summit

The White House said the trip "aims to further strengthen the close relationship between the two countries".

The US president will travel to Downing Street on Monday for a key meeting with Prime Minister Sunak, their fifth in as many months and just a month after the "Atlantic Declaration".

Mr Sunak's spokesman said their discussions were likely to include the upcoming Nato summit and Ukraine.

“In the face of new and unprecedented challenges to our economic and territorial security, alliances are more important than ever,” Mr Sunak said in a statement.

“The UK is Europe’s leading NATO ally. We are America’s most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we have been at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support it needs,” he added.

He has worked to repair relations with Mr Biden after bilateral ties hit record lows under his predecessors.

For Mr Biden, the more important part of the trip will be his meeting with King Charles at Windsor Castle in west London, where the late Queen Elizabeth hosted former President Barack Obama in 2016 and former President Donald Trump in 2018.

The US president and the king will discuss climate issues, a topic that King Charles, 74, has campaigned and called attention to for more than five decades.

After the meeting, Mr Biden and Mr Sunak will leave the UK for Lithuania, where NATO leaders will hold a key summit. Mr Biden is then expected to travel to Helsinki to meet with Nordic leaders.

Trung Kien (according to Reuters)