The President of United States, Joe Biden has kicked off a three-nation trip dominated by a NATO summit which was tailored towards showing solidarity with Ukraine amid disagreements over Kyiv’s possible admission of Ukraine into the alliance.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that Biden arrived in the United Kingdom, a key US ally, on Monday morning.
The US president will meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street. Sunak’s spokesperson said their discussions would probably include the upcoming NATO summit, which starts in Vilnius on July 11, and Ukraine.
‘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 released by his office on Saturday.
‘The UK is Europe’s leading NATO ally, we are the United States’ most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield,’ he added.
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Biden will also Britain’s King Charles for the first time since his May coronation, the White House said, to hold talks focusing on climate change and the environment.
The main part of Biden’s Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital on Tuesday and Wednesday when the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine oust invading Russian forces.
After Ankara accused Stockholm of being too indulgent toward groups it views as a security danger, including Kurdish armed groups and individuals linked to a 2016 coup attempt, Biden is expected to use the summit to pressure Turkey into withdrawing its opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
The White House reported that Biden ‘conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible’ in a phone chat with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday.
The two leaders ‘expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine,’ the statement added.
Erdogan’s office said that he would meet Biden on the sidelines of the summit.
The talks will focus on ‘Ukraine’s position in NATO, Sweden’s NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16’ fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said.
Prior to leaving the US, Biden said he would resist calls for promising Ukraine quick entry into the alliance – a move Erdogan expressed public support for on Saturday.
Africa Today News, New York reports that entry into NATO requires unanimous consent from all 31 members. Ukraine has demanded that the military alliance give a clear path to membership at this week’s summit, but the US and Germany have been hesitant about welcoming a country at war that still needs to undergo some democratic reforms, insisting the focus should instead be on supplying weapons and ammunition.