Rishi Sunak has crossed the Atlantic with the mission of reestablishing the “special relationship” with Washington, deteriorated after the successive changes of government, and with the impact of the destruction of the Nova Kajovka dam in Ukraine that has tested the reaction of the allies. The British Prime Minister emphasized the military collaboration between the two countries with a visit to the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington, in his first hours of stay in the US capital.
Sunak decided to align himself with Joe Biden from the outset and responded with some caution to the Ukrainian dam disaster, ahead of Thursday’s meeting at the White House. “All I can say is that if it was intentional, it would represent the biggest attack against civilian infrastructure since the start of the war and would mark the nadir of aggression by Russia,” Sunak said, deferring, however, , to the reports of the intelligence services and assured that it was “too soon for a definitive conclusion”.
The White House security spokesman, John Kirby, had already spoken along the same lines on Tuesday, avoiding directly blaming Moscow for the destruction of the dam: “We are doing everything possible to evaluate the information and we are working with the Ukrainians But we can’t say anything conclusive at this point.”
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who met Zelensky in Kiev earlier in the week, backed away from official caution, condemning the destruction of the dam as “an abhorrent act” and warned that “the intentional attack against civilian infrastructure is a war crime”.
The fourth bilateral meeting between Sunak and Biden thus comes at a critical moment in the war in Ukraine, with the counteroffensive plans seriously affected by the humanitarian and environmental disaster of the Nova Kajovka dam. The two leaders face an acid test of their support for kyiv, marked by uneven unity throughout the fifteen months of conflict.
London has typically been ahead of the allies in supplying Ukraine with weapons, and Sunak has followed Boris Johnson’s lead in supplying long-range missiles. The British government has also championed the so-called coalition of fighters for the training of Ukrainian pilots in Western combat aircraft, and that will be another of the burning issues that will be on the negotiating table for Sunak and Biden.
In time for the NATO summit in Vilnius (Lithuania), the British Prime Minister aspires to defend the candidacy as Secretary General of the current Defense Minister, Ben Wallace, considered one of the favorites to succeed Jen Stoltenberg when he leaves his charge in October.
Following military cooperation, Sunak will prioritize the need to “closer trade ties” with the United States, perhaps starting with an agreement in the automobile sector. Even so, the British government seems resigned for a long time to renounce the great agreement with the American giant that Boris Johnson promised in his day as the main button of Brexit.
Sunak will take advantage of his trip to move towards trade agreements with states like Texas. Meanwhile, London has not hidden its discomfort at the measures contained in the Inflation Reduction Act, promoted by Joe Biden, considering them “protectionist”.
The premier will stress the need to strengthen economic ties between the two countries to deal with Russia and China. “The United Kingdom and the United States have always worked together to protect our way of life,” the conservative leader declared on the occasion of his visit. “The remnants and threats we face have made clear the need to build an alliance that protects our economies.”
Sunak will also put at the top of the agenda the need for cooperation in the face of the risks of Artificial Intelligence, with the promotion of the creation of an international body to ensure the rules and safeguards for the use of new technologies.
Sunak’s visit to the White House, and his stay at Blair House -described in its day by Elizabeth II as “the most exclusive hotel in the world”- will help to break down the emotional barriers between the two leaders that became visible a few years ago. barely three months, when Joe Biden visited Belfast and invited the prime minister to a frugal breakfast, who later decided to absent himself from the US president’s speech.
The issue of Northern Ireland (which continues without a local government) has always been a priority for Joe Biden due to his ancestors on the island. The president of the United States has always expressed his disdain for Brexit as he has been able to.
“I have never found a Democrat who thinks that Brexit was a good idea,” the former British ambassador to Washington, Kim Darroch, confessed these days to the Financial Times. “They always hated Brexit because they thought it went against the grain of history and because the UK was their main channel of entry into the European Union.”
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