US President Joe Biden will host British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on June 8 (local time) when the British leader makes his first visit to the White House as Prime Minister.
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| US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met at the US-UK-Australia Summit (AUKUS) in mid-March in California. (Source: Getty Images) |
The two leaders' Oval Office talks are expected to cover the conflict in Ukraine, relations with China, economic security, international cooperation in regulating the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence and a host of other issues.
The two leaders have had four face-to-face meetings since Mr Sunak became British prime minister last October, but the talks in Washington will give them their most sustained interaction to date.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has lasted 15 months, would be “top of mind.”
The US and UK are the two biggest donors to Ukraine in the conflict and have played a central role in a long-term effort, announced last month, to train and equip Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Mr. Rishi is also trying to convince President Biden to let British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace take over as Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to replace Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, whose term as leader of the 31-member military alliance ends next September.
Mr. Stoltenberg is scheduled to meet President Biden in Washington on June 12, and NATO leaders are expected to gather in Lithuania from July 11-12 for the alliance's annual summit.
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