US President Joe Biden has met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III while on his way to a NATO summit. In separate comments on Sunday, Biden said that Ukraine was not ready for NATO membership.
US President Joe Biden ended the UK leg of his three-nation Europe trip Monday before flying to Vilnius, Lithuania, for this week's NATO summit.
On Monday, Biden met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street — his sixth meeting with the UK prime minister, which was believed to have touched on various global issues, including the war in Ukraine.
The pair have met regularly in recent months, seeking to repair ties that were strained under Sunak's predecessors — particularly in connection with the UK's post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland.
London's relations with Irish-American Biden have since improved, particularly after Sunak struck a deal with the European Union about the movement of goods.
Biden told reporters in London that he "couldn't be meeting with a closer friend and greater ally."
"Our relationship is rock solid," he added.
The president then went on to visit King Charles III at Windsor Castle, flying from central London to the royal residence in his Marine One helicopter.
In May, Biden had declined to attend Charles' coronation with the promise that he would visit soon. On Monday, he made good on that promise when the two men addressed the "generational challenge" of climate change.
After a quick greeting, attention shifted a tightly planned event at Windsor Castle where both men took part in a climate roundtable attended by financial and philanthropic heavyweights.
For decades, Charles has championed wildlife and environmental causes. Biden has said climate change is one of four crises he has identified and seeks to confront during his presidency.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the president has "huge respect" for Charles' commitment to such causes, calling him a "clarion voice" and "someone who's mobilized action and effort."
