President Joe Biden hosted U.K Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the White House on Thursday for the first time since the British leader took office, with Ukraine and economic partnership top of mind.
The pair met Thursday morning and is set to address the media together in the afternoon.
“Prime Minister [Winston] Churchill and [former U.S. President Franklin Delano] Roosevelt met here a little over 70 years ago and they asserted the strength of the partnership between Great Britain and the United States was the strength of the free world. I still think there is truth to that,” Biden said at the beginning of the meeting. “Together we are providing economic, humanitarian aid and security assistance to Ukraine in their fight against the brutal invasion of the Russians.”
“It is daunting to think of the conversations that our predecessors had in this room when they had to speak of wars that they fought together,” Sunak responded. “For the first time in over half a century we face a war on the European continent and as we have done before, the U.S. and the U.K. have stood together to support Ukraine and stand up for the values of Democracies and freedom.”
The U.S. and the U.K are the two biggest donors to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, and both countries are key players in an international effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Ukraine is preparing to launch a counteroffensive that it hopes will change the trajectory of the war. That, along with the breaching of a major dam in southern Ukraine, which sent floodwaters gushing through towns and over farmland, has given the subject added urgency.
Neither Washington nor London has officially accused Russia of blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.
Sunak said Wednesday that U.K. intelligence services are still assessing the evidence, but “if it does prove to be intentional, it will represent a new low … an appalling barbarism on Russia’s part.”
On Tuesday, NSC Spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was still assessing the situation as well and had not made a determination as to who is responsible. He also noted “the Russians had illegally taken over that dam and the reservoir many, many months ago,” adding, “it’s very clear that the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure is not allowed by the laws of war.”
Biden and Sunak have already had four face-to-face meetings since Sunak became prime minister in October. In April, Biden met with Sunak during a trip to Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Biden mentioned the two leaders may discuss developments in Northern Ireland at the start of the meeting on Thursday.
The talks in Washington will offer the two leaders a chance for their most sustained interaction to date.
Biden told Sunak on Thursday that the U.S. had no greater ally, adding talks would include plans to strengthen the two countries’ economic relationship.
“The global economy is undergoing, I think, the greatest transformation that’s occurred since the industrial revolution,” Biden said.
“I completely agree with what you said. Our economies are seeing perhaps the biggest transformation since the industrial revolution as new technologies provide incredible opportunities but also give our adversaries more tools for harm,” Sunak responded.
Sunak is keen to make the U.K. a key player in artificial intelligence, and announced that his government will gather politicians, scientists and tech executives for a summit on AI safety in the fall.
“The one thing I know won’t change, I’m confident won’t change, is the strength of our partnership and our friendship,” Sunak said Thursday. “We will put our values front and center, as we have always done, to deliver for the British and American people.”
Sunak may also be looking to make the case to Biden for U.K. Defense Minister Ben Wallace to succeed outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is set to end his term leading the 31-member alliance in September. Stoltenberg is slated to meet with Biden in Washington on Monday, and leaders from the alliance are set to gather in Lithuania on July 11-12 for their annual summit.
Thursday’s meeting and news conference will round out Sunak’s two-day Washington visit. On Wednesday, he began his trip by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. He met with key congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as well as business leaders. He also attended a Washington Nationals baseball game.
