Joe Biden received a royal salute at Windsor Castle today before talks with King Charles on climate change.
The US president, 80, was seen shaking hands with the 74-year-old monarch before they made their way to the castle lawn for a rendition of the US national anthem courtesy of the Welsh Guards.
Earlier, he sat down with Rishi Sunak in the Downing Street garden and told reporters relations were ‘rock solid’ – as he tries to quash his ‘anti-British’ reputation.
Mr Biden last had formal talks with Charles at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021.
He attended the state funeral of Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September, but did not go to the Coronation – with his wife, Jill, attending instead.
The US president, 80, was seen shaking hands with the 74-year-old monarch at Windsor
The monarch steps out of the Sovereign’s Entrance at Windsor ahead of his meeting today
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the president has ‘huge respect’ for the king’s commitment on the climate issue in particular.
He said Charles has been a ‘clarion voice’ on climate and ‘someone who’s mobilised action and effort.’
‘So the president comes at this with enormous goodwill,’ Sullivan told reporters yesterday as Biden flew to London.
Before making his way to Windsor Castle, Biden sat down for a friendly meeting with Mr Sunak at Number 10.
However, frustration is mounting that although it will be their fifth meeting in as many months, Mr Biden is largely ignoring the UK’s views.
More flashpoints have emerged over recent days, with Mr Biden pouring cold water on the idea of Ukraine joining Nato anytime soon.
He has also put Mr Sunak in an awkward position by declaring the US will supply Kyiv with cluster bombs – weapons the UK is committed to shunning.
And the pair could have tricky exchanges over the next head of Nato, after Mr Biden seemingly blocked the ambitions of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and backed the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen for the top job.
Tory MP David Jones told MailOnline engagement was useless if there was no ‘positive response’.
‘The PM should remind him which country is America’s strongest ally,’ he added.
As the leaders sat down on rattan furniture in the Downing Street garden, Mr Biden told Mr Sunak he ‘couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and greater ally’.
‘Our relationship is rock solid,’ he said.
Mr Sunak said the pair would consider ‘how do we strengthen our co-operation, joint economic security to the benefit of our citizens’.
He added: ‘We stand as two of the firmest allies in that alliance and I know we’ll want to do everything we can to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.’
Mr Biden is said to be pushing for the current European Commission president to take charge of the military alliance.
But MPs complained that he is ‘being a d***’, after apparently being angered by Britain failing to get his approval to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16 fighter jets.
Conservatives have warned that Ms von der Leyen was the ‘worst ever’ German defence minister before becoming commission president.
A Metropolitan Police helicopter escorts Marine One – the presidential helicopter – on its way to Windsor Castle
On her watch Berlin’s troops notoriously trained with broomsticks on Nato exercises because they did not have enough rifles.
Mr Biden told CNN in an interview broadcast as he set off on his journey that Ukraine was not ‘ready for membership’ in NATO.
‘I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,’ he said.
He noted that NATO members are committed every inch of each other’s territory, while war is raging inside Ukraine.
‘If the war is going on, then we’re all in war,’ he said.
His tone appeared far more downbeat than the UK, which has urged a positive message on the prospects for Ukraine joining Nato.
