Biden heads to Europe for annual NATO summit

President Biden heads to Great Britain on Sunday. The American leader will meet with King Charles and Prime Minister Richshi Sunak. The war in Ukraine will be the main topic of talks in London as NATO leaders gather in Lithuania. President Biden will be hosted Monday by Prime Minister Sunak and later by King Charles at the Winter Castle.

London has stepped up security measures as President Joe Biden travels to the United Kingdom on Sunday. The American leader will meet with Prime Minister Richie Sunak and King Charles for the first time since he was crowned.

The American leader and Prime Minister Sunak will hold talks on a wide range of issues. The war in Ukraine will be the main topic of talks by the two leaders before attending the NATO meeting in Vilnius, where it will be talked about Kiev's aspirations to join the alliance.

In 2008, NATO leaders said Ukraine has joined the alliance but have not defined a guide despite strong calls for membership by President Volodyr Zelenskyy.

The US and Great Britain are among Kiev's strongest Western supporters. Some analysts say London has influenced Washington over military support for Kiev, including the delivery of tanks and efforts to supply Ukraine with F-16 model combat aircraft.

Great Britain failed to secure Washington's support for selecting Defence Secretary Ben Wallace at the helm of NATO, as Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's term extended by one year.

Transatlantic relations have been strained in recent years as a result of Britain's departure from the European Union, an act that Mr. Biden says has damaged Britain.

For Prime Minister Sunak, President Beden's visit provides a brief relief from the problems his country faces as a result of a weak economy and controversy within his party. Both Mr. Biden and the British leader face elections next year. / VOA