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Britain “discourages” the use of cluster bombs, said Rishi Sunak, a day after Joe Biden agreed to supply Ukraine with the controversial munitions, signaling that transatlantic allies would not act together in the initiative.
The British prime minister is expected to discuss the matter with Biden on Monday, when the two meet during the US president’s brief visit to Britain before traveling to a NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, later in the week.
Britain is a signatory to an international agreement banning the use of weapons, which have been blamed for causing civilian deaths even decades after conflicts ended. The United States is not a signatory.
Sunak said on Saturday that the agreement “prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and does not encourage their use.” He did not explicitly criticize Biden’s decision.
On Friday, US officials said their country would supply weapons to Ukraine. In an interview with CNN, Biden said it was a “very difficult decision” and that it took him “a while to get convinced” but that Ukrainian forces were “running out of ammunition”.
The United States and Britain are the two largest arms suppliers to Ukraine, and Sunak and Biden largely share a common position on the conflict. Last month they had successful talks in Washington.
The two countries also agree on other strategic geopolitical issues including the Oukos Agreement in the Pacific region.
Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, said Biden’s focus in the meeting with Sunak will be on NATO and Ukraine.
“I imagine this will be an opportunity for them to communicate the developments and discussions that will take place at the Vilnius summit,” Sloat told reporters on Friday.
“It will be an opportunity for them to compare notes on our support for Ukraine and their ongoing efforts on the battlefield,” she added.
British officials have indicated that Biden’s main goal is to visit King Charles in Windsor, although it is not an official state visit. He will have a tight schedule: from his overnight stay at Winfield House, the US ambassador’s residence in Regent’s Park, he will travel to 10 Downing Street, then to Windsor Castle by helicopter, and then to Stansted Airport in a little space. hours.
One US official insisted that both meetings were “important” for the White House, given “the importance of close and continued coordination with the United Kingdom, our closest ally”.
On Friday, Karen Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, shrugged off criticism that Biden did not attend the coronation of King Charles III in May. He made contact with the king and congratulated him.
Never before have American presidents attended the coronation of British monarchs.
One of the biggest sources of tension between the US and UK in recent years has been over Northern Ireland, but that eased after Sunak reached the Windsor framework agreement with the EU earlier this year.
However, Sloat said Biden “remains very focused on working in partnership with the UK, with Ireland, and continuing to ensure peace, prosperity and stability in the broader region.”
