Joe Biden’s U.K. Visit Is Very Awkward for Three Reasons
July 10, 2023
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President Joe Biden’s visit to the U.K. could prove awkward for both the U.S. and U.K. governments as Biden meets with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III.
Biden’s trip to the U.K. comes ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday and amid disagreements among members of the military alliance about the U.S. decision to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine.
The president will meet Charles III at Windsor Castle, one of the monarch’s residences, following criticism earlier this year that Biden’s decision not to attend the new king’s coronation was a snub.
Here are three reasons why Biden’s visit to the U.K. could be awkward.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event about lowering health care costs in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Biden’s visit to the U.K. could prove awkward due to rows with the U.K. government. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
1. Disagreement on Cluster Bombs for Ukraine
The U.S. is pressing ahead with its decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions despite concern and criticism from some other NATO members. While Prime Minister Sunak hasn’t directly criticized the move, the decision has raised tensions.
On Saturday, Sunak noted that the U.K. is one of the 123 signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions but the U.S., Ukraine and Russia are not parties to the convention.
Sunak has said the U.K. “discourages” the use of cluster bombs but reiterated his government’s support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.
The disagreement over cluster bombs is significant as the U.S. and U.K. have previously been united in their support of Ukraine and both countries have supplied weapons to the Kyiv government.
2. NATO Leadership Row
Ahead of this week’s NATO summit, the U.K. and U.S. also appear to be in conflict over the leadership of the alliance. Reports in the U.K. press over the weekend claimed that Biden has blocked British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace from becoming the next NATO secretary general.
Sunak reportedly lobbied for Wallace to take up the role once the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, leaves the position next year. However, Biden reportedly favors EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for NATO’s top job.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Wallace’s push to train Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S.-made F-16s led to Biden’s decision to block him for the NATO post. Wallace reportedly began promoting the idea of training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s before the Biden administration approved the plan.
3. Biden’s Coronation Absence
Biden will meet King Charles III for the first time since the new king was crowned. The president had attended the funeral of the king’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but not the subsequent coronation.
Biden was heavily criticized by some in the U.K. and the U.S. for not attending the coronation on May 6 despite visiting the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in April.
Former President Donald Trump was among those taking aim at Biden, saying: “When you have someone who’s going to be sleeping instead of coming to the coronation as president of the United States, I think that’s a bad thing.”
Nonetheless, no U.S. president has ever attended the coronation of a British monarch. First lady Jill Biden was in attendance along with her granddaughter, Finnegan Biden
Biden’s meeting with the king at Windsor could make for potentially awkward moments and their interactions will be closely watched.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.
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