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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Joint Base Andrews early Wednesday in his first foreign trip since coming into power in a landslide election last week. Starmer is set to take part in the 75th annual NATO summit held in the US capital and meet with US President Joe Biden and other leaders.

New British PM Keir Starmer arrives in Washington, DC ahead of NATO summit

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The Meaning Behind the Personalized Gift U.K. Prime Minister Starmer Gave to Biden

S ir Keir Starmer, the new U.K. Prime Minister who took office last week, visited the White House on Wednesday where he gave President Joe Biden a unique gift: a personalized Arsenal soccer T-shirt. The jersey was printed with Biden’s last name and the number “46” on the back, a nod to the fact that Biden is the 46th U.S. President. 

Starmer has long been a fan of the North London-based soccer team. A season ticket holder, he has been photographed at games multiple times. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Starmer has gifted a fellow politician with an Arsenal shirt. He also gave a personalized jersey to French President Emmanuel Macron when they met in September 2023 . 

In an emailed statement shared with TIME, the Downing Street press office said of Starmer’s gift to Biden: “Obviously, as you well know, the Prime Minister is a longstanding Arsenal fan and season ticket holder. It is his team and he thought it would make a personal gift for the President.”

Starmer visited the White House as part of NATO’s 75th anniversary summit, where he was there to represent Britain on the world stage regarding matters of international diplomacy and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While there, he also gifted President Biden a copy of the Atlantic Charter, an agreement that helped paved the way for NATO, that included amendments from the Labour Party leader at the time Clement Attlee. 

During his visit, Starmer said that the U.K.’s “special relationship with the U.S. is so important” and “stronger now than ever," in BBC footage of the event . He also emphasized his support for Ukraine amidst its ongoing war with Russia.

At one point, the pair commented on the success of England’s soccer team in the EURO 2024 tournament, as the team made the finals on Wednesday night after beating the Netherlands 2-1 in a game. Biden joked that England’s success was “all because of the Prime Minister,” Starmer responded that England’s team had "not lost a game under the Labour government in 2024. " Afterwards, a reporter asked Starmer if England would win the tournament, to which the Prime Minister responded “it looks like it.”

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Biden to host new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at White House on Wednesday

P resident Joe Biden will host United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Wednesday. Starmer’s first visit to the White House as Prime Minister comes after the Labour Party was victorious in last Thursday’s election, earning a 170-seat majority in the House of Commons. 

“On July 10, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will host Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom for a bilateral meeting at the White House. President Biden looks forward to his first meeting with Prime Minister Starmer and will underscore the importance of continuing to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” read a release from the White House.  

“The leaders will have the opportunity to discuss in depth U.S.-UK cooperation across a range of issues, including support to Ukraine, advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific, reaching a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, ensuring that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon, and strengthening the coalition to confront Iranian-backed Houthi threats to commercial shipping,” the release read.

The meeting comes during a busy week in Washington, D.C., with the nation’s capital hosting the NATO Summit from July 9 to 11. Over 30 leaders of NATO countries are commemorating the 75th anniversary of the alliance organization. Starmer will also be in attendance for the Summit, as the United Kingdom is an integral part of NATO. Leaders are expected to discuss the “challenges facing the Alliance” and ways to “further strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense.”

“The leaders will also discuss furthering our bilateral cooperation in areas such as protecting advanced technologies and developing climate and clean energy solutions,” according to the release from the White House. “President Biden looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Starmer to Washington, D.C. for NATO’s 75th anniversary and their bilateral meeting.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The meeting with Starmer also comes amid rumors that Biden is fighting for his political life. Calls for Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election have plagued the president’s administration in the days since the first presidential debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Many congressional Democrats have sought Biden to step aside so the Democratic Party could run a different candidate in the election. 

So far, Biden has ignored those calls and declared that he will remain in the election, telling Democrats that he was “running this race to the end.”

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Statement from White   House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Visit of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United   Kingdom

President Biden looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom for an Official Working Visit to the White House on Thursday, June 8 to further deepen the close and historic partnership between the United States and the United Kingdom.  Building on their recent engagements, the two leaders will review a range of global issues, including their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal war of aggression, as well as further action to bolster energy security and address the climate crisis.  The President and the Prime Minister will discuss efforts to continue strengthening our economic relationship as we confront shared economic and national security challenges.  They will also review developments in Northern Ireland as part of their shared commitment to preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

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In his 1st White House visit, Rishi Sunak talks Ukraine, AI — and how to say his name

Fatima Al-Kassab

Lauren Frayer

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared as a guest at a Washington Nationals baseball game on Wednesday. Kevin LaMarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared as a guest at a Washington Nationals baseball game on Wednesday.

LONDON — When Rishi Sunak became the United Kingdom's prime minister last fall, it was right around the Indian holiday of Diwali — and Sunak is the first U.K. prime minister of Indian descent. So President Biden gave him a shout-out at the White House Diwali party.

But he botched the pronunciation of Sunak's name. So did his press secretary . By January, he still couldn't get it right . (It's pronounced RIH-shee — rhymes with "dishy" — SOO-nak. Some U.K. media even nicknamed him "Dishy Rishi.")

That left some in London with the impression the Biden administration hadn't learned who the British prime minister was — or didn't care.

Rishi Sunak takes over as U.K. PM facing enormous economic and political challenges

When Biden traveled to Sunak's region in April , for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, it was an opportunity for a reset. But he spent four days in Ireland and less than a full day on the U.K. side — barely enough time to grab a cup of coffee with Sunak. (The press dubbed their bilateral meeting a "bi-latte.")

Biden later told a fundraiser in New York that he only went to the commemoration to ensure "the Brits didn't screw around."

So as Sunak heads to the White House Thursday, he's looking to reset what's long been called a "special relationship" between Britain and the United States. He wants to prove that after Brexit, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and political turmoil in London, Britain remains one of the most important U.S. allies.

Sunak walks onto the baseball field at Nationals Park. The British prime minister is in Washington in part to focus on "specific and targeted" ways to improve trade between the U.S. and the U.K. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sunak walks onto the baseball field at Nationals Park. The British prime minister is in Washington in part to focus on "specific and targeted" ways to improve trade between the U.S. and the U.K.

"There has been an unusual level of political turbulence. Sunak will want to get the impression across that stability has been restored," says Kim Darroch, a former British ambassador to Washington. "As for Britain's place in the world, we're the second-biggest contributor in terms of military assistance to Ukraine. We are the second-largest contributor to NATO. So there's no question we can still bring something to the table."

Critics say Sunak's goals are small

Ukraine is expected to dominate Thursday's White House talks. The topic is even more urgent in light of the destruction of a dam in southern Ukraine this week, and amid speculation about the start of the Ukrainian military's long-awaited counteroffensive .

The U.K. will have 5 prime ministers in just 6 years. What's gone wrong?

Sunak may lobby Biden to back his U.K. defense secretary, Ben Wallace, to become the next secretary-general of NATO . The current one, Jens Stoltenberg, is expected to step down in September.

Any hopes of a major post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. have been abandoned though, with Sunak instead saying he is focused on "specific and targeted" ways to improve trade between the two countries. These reportedly may include a carve-out to protect the U.K. car industry from Biden's green subsidies, or some offer on digital services.

But some say this would be only a minor win.

Sunak takes part in a sustainability project during a visit Wednesday to the Friendship Technology Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. He meets with President Biden on Thursday. Kevin LaMarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sunak takes part in a sustainability project during a visit Wednesday to the Friendship Technology Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. He meets with President Biden on Thursday.

"Compared to the ambition of a few years ago, it feels a bit small," says Mujtaba Rahman, managing director of Europe at the Eurasia Group, a risk analysis think tank.

Britain wants to lead on AI

Sunak may have more luck getting Biden to back some of his plans related to artificial intelligence. In a bid to position the U.K. as a leader on AI, Sunak's government announced late Wednesday that London would host a global AI summit this fall to discuss ways of monitoring the technology's risks.

Asked by reporters on the plane to Washington whether his plans for the U.K.'s role in AI diplomacy were realistic, Sunak insisted that "this midsized country happens to be a global leader" in the technology.

But the European Union is also a leader on AI, and U.S. officials have already signed agreements on the topic with their EU counterparts. Since Britain has left the EU, analysts say the U.K. may struggle to keep up.

"There's something of a scramble now by Sunak to try to forge an influential and important role in this very quickly maturing AI debate," Rahman says. "I think it's going to be very hard."

So Sunak will be looking for any wins from this White House visit: a photo op with Biden, exuding stability, continued collaboration on Ukraine — and hopefully, a U.S. administration that's learned how to pronounce his name.

Correction June 8, 2023

A previous wire photo caption mistakenly said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would meet President Bush instead of President Biden. Another caption previously said Sunak would be throwing the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game, but he opted not to do so.

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When US presidents and UK prime ministers met for the first time – from hand-holding to ‘political soulmates’

Sir keir starmer and joe biden’s working relationship may be different to that of forerunners, such as theresa may and donald trump, and gordon brown and barack obama, article bookmarked.

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Louise Thomas

When US president Joe Biden spoke to Sir Keir Starmer on the telephone following his UK election victory, he referenced the “special relationship” between the two countries – and now the prime minister is in Washington DC to cement that bond .

It is a relationship between nations that is embodied by that between the two leaders, and getting off on the right foot can be important.

President Biden is hosting Sir Keir at the White House as Nato leaders gather in Washington for the alliance’s 75th anniversary. He plans to “underscore the importance of continuing to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom” , White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Here is how first meetings between premiers have gone in recent times.

When Theresa May met Donald Trump

When former prime minister Theresa May went to meet Donald Trump, it is likely she didn’t expect to have to call her husband, Philip, to warn him that images of her holding hands with the US president were imminent.

“He held her hand going through the colonnades, which took us all by surprise, and as it turns out, took Theresa by surprise,” Fiona McLeod Hill, the former joint chief of staff at No 10, told documentary maker Norma Percy.

The former PM revealed she was puzzled by his gesture, and admitted she doesn't know what pushed him to do it.

The pair first met in January 2017, and Ms May was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his inauguration.

According to a book published by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, Mr Trump asked Ms May: “Why isn’t Boris Johnson the prime minister? Didn’t he want the job?”

Ms Haberman noted that “for May, getting Trump to focus on any issue was impossible”.

Gordon Brown and Barack Obama

Barack Obama ’s first term came towards the end of Gordon Brown’s premiership.

The pair met at a time of economic turmoil, shortly after the global financial crisis gripped the world.

In March 2009, Downing Street proudly boasted that Mr Brown was the first European leader President Obama had met.

The then US president insisted that the UK was one of America's "closest and strongest allies" and vowed to work with Mr Brown to revive the world economy and assist each other with issues on national security.

Tony Blair and George W Bush

Tony Blair and George Bush ’s first meeting came just months before the 9/11 attack – an event that would come to define UK and US relations.

Mr Bush praised the "wisdom" and "strategic thinking" of Mr Blair in their first meeting in his book Decision Points.

In February 2001, the pair met at Camp David, the US president’s official retreat.

The former president dubbed Mr Blair “a pretty charming guy”, saying: “He put the charm offensive on me – and it worked."

When a reporter asked whether the two men had forged a personal bond, Mr Bush announced: “Well, we both use Colgate toothpaste.”

Mr Blair quipped: “They are going to wonder how you know that George.”

John Major and Bill Clinton

The first encounter between John Major and Bill Clinton was just a month after the president's inauguration in February 1993.

The relationship when they were both in power never really developed and they fell out when the US issued a visa to Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and during the “devil’s brew” of the Bosnian war.

Soon after Mr Clinton was elected, the prime minister gave him a tie in the colours of University College, Oxford, which the president had attended as a postgraduate student.

Margaret Thatcher and George H W Bush

Margaret Thatcher and President-elect George H W Bush's first official meeting took place during her trip to Washington in November 1988.

The diplomatic relationship between the pair was dominated by US troops invading Iraq and the dying days of the Soviet Union.

Mrs Thatcher had been in power for 10 years by the time Mr Bush was elected, and had a famously warm relationship with his predecessor, Ronald Reagan.

“My first impression: Margaret [is] principled, very difficult... She’s a principled woman, and a good friend of the States, but she talks all the time when you’re in a conversation. It’s a one-way street,” he wrote after the first meeting, according to his biography Destiny and Power .

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan first met when he was governor of California and she was leader of the opposition.

Their first official meeting as premiers came a month into his presidency, in February 1981.

Ms Thatcher and former President Ronald Reagan were, in the words of one close aide, “political soulmates”.

She said at his 2004 funeral that “we have lost a great president, a great American and a great man”, adding: “And I have lost a dear friend.”

Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower

Looking back further, the friendship between Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower stretched from the beginning of 1942 to Mr Churchill's death in 1965.

They first met in January 1953 at the apartment of Bernard Baruch, a wealthy businessman.

The pair came from very different backgrounds: Mr Eisenhower, was born in a shack beside the railway tracks in rural Texas, and Mr Churchill, a British aristocrat, born in Blenheim Palace.

Their relationship was characterised by the Second World War, and they often disagreed about issues around Germany.

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Modi’s Moscow Visit Showcases a Less Isolated Putin, Angering Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India made his first visit to Russia in five years, even as Ukraine reeled from an attack on a children’s hospital.

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By Paul Sonne and Anupreeta Das

They hugged and strolled under the trees. They sipped tea and exchanged thoughts for hours. They petted horses together at the stables.

The jovial scenes between President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, captured during the Indian leader’s first visit to Russia in five years, illustrated a sobering reality.

Despite the West’s campaign to isolate Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, other nations have pursued their own interests with regard to Moscow, helping Mr. Putin shore up the Russian economy and continue to wage his war. India, which has close ties to the United States, has emerged as the second-biggest importer of Russian oil after China in the years since the invasion.

Mr. Modi’s state visit, which began late Monday with a trip to Mr. Putin’s residence outside Moscow, underscored the point. At the Kremlin on Tuesday, Mr. Putin awarded Mr. Modi the Order of St. Andrew, the Russian government’s highest civilian honor, expressing “sincere gratitude” for his contribution to relations between their states.

“We have had two and a half years now of endless Russian atrocities, and most of the world is not daunted or uncomfortable maintaining some kind of business as usual with Moscow,” said Andrew S. Weiss, the vice president for studies at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “That’s a really sad commentary on Russia’s continued geopolitical weight.”

While Mr. Modi was hugging the Russian leader late Monday, rescue workers and volunteers in Kyiv were clearing away rubble from a Russian strike on Ukraine’s biggest pediatric hospital . Images of children outside the destroyed medical facility with their IVs still attached, or in some cases covered in blood, wrenched a nation that has been exhausted by more than two years of Russian bombardment.

“It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day,” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on X .

The state visit was also juxtaposed against the gathering of NATO countries on Tuesday in Washington, where they discussed continued support for Ukraine.

Western governments have failed to persuade India and many other governments around the world to take a public position against Mr. Putin’s war. Mr. Modi has avoided condemning Russia’s invasion and instead issued general calls for peace, maintaining the warm relations with Moscow that India has cultivated since the days of the Cold War.

The Indian leader said he had discussed Ukraine with Mr. Putin at his residence, agreeing on the need for peace as soon as possible.

“Any person who believes in humanity feels pain when people die, and especially when innocent children die,” Mr. Modi said Tuesday, a possible implicit reference to the hospital attack. “When we feel such pain, the heart simply explodes, and I had the opportunity to talk about these issues with you yesterday.”

The state visit offered still more evidence that Mr. Putin has managed to avoid the pariah status Western leaders tried to force on him after the invasion. Mr. Putin has maintained a robust diplomatic schedule holding two meetings with China’s leader , Xi Jinping, in two months, along with meeting the leaders of Vietnam , Hungary , Belarus and the nations of Central Asia,

On Tuesday, Indian officials said that the two countries had struck various agreements to strengthen economic ties, with the goal of reaching $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.

Russia and India also said they would strengthen their military cooperation, including manufacturing more weapon spare parts and units in India. They pledged to continue developing national payment systems, which allow Russia to conduct trade outside U.S. dollars and away from platforms impacted by Western sanctions.

Mr. Modi, who said he had met Mr. Putin 17 times over the course of the past decade, invited Mr. Putin to visit India next year.

“Russia is India’s true friend,” Mr. Modi said at a meeting with members of the Indian community in Moscow, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.

While India imported little Russian crude before the invasion of Ukraine, the nation has since risen to become the No. 2 importer of Russian oil after China, helping fill the Kremlin’s coffers despite a Western ban on most Russian oil imports. In many cases, India has been refining Russian crude and re-exporting it to European nations that are subject to the ban, giving it a lucrative middleman role .

Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. has “been quite clear about our concerns” about India’s relationship with Russia, and has related them “privately, directly to the Indian government” — including within the past 24 hours. “We continue to urge India to support efforts to realize an enduring and just peace in Ukraine,” he said.

Mr. Modi said Tuesday that as a friend, he had always told Mr. Putin that peace was a prerequisite for future generations to have a bright future.

“That is why we believe that war is not a solution,” he said. “There can be no solution through war. Bombs, missiles and rifles cannot ensure peace. That is why we emphasize dialogue.”

India has a long history of friendly relations with Moscow. The Soviet Union and later Russia for decades supplied much of India’s arms and military equipment, though that reliance has decreased in recent years, in part because of pressure from the United States.

“This has been a time-tested relationship, and there is a consensus in India, regardless of political orientation, that the relationship with Russia is one to be preserved and not squandered,” said Rajan Menon, professor emeritus of political science at City College.

Mr. Putin has cast his invasion of Ukraine as an anti-imperial struggle against an encroaching West, and that message has resonated in parts of the developing world that once lived under Western colonialism. According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted this year, just 16 percent of respondents in India expressed unfavorable views of Russia, compared with 46 percent who voiced positive associations.

During his talks with Mr. Putin, Mr. Modi sought the early discharge of all I ndian nationals who were recruited by the Russian army under “false pretenses,” according to government officials. The contentious issue had introduced a sour note in the countries’ friendly relations. Mr. Putin agreed to the discharge of those citizens, who India has said number between 35 and 50.

Mr. Menon predicted that India would continue to cultivate deeper ties with the United States over the long term, but not at a cost of having to choose sides.

“Anyone who expects you can peel India off and put it in the U.S. column — that is not going to happen,” he said. “Would you rather be completely dependent on the United States or Russia, or have a position of maneuverability between the two?”

Michael Crowley contributed reporting.

Paul Sonne is an international correspondent, focusing on Russia and the varied impacts of President Vladimir V. Putin’s domestic and foreign policies, with a focus on the war against Ukraine. More about Paul Sonne

Anupreeta Das is the finance editor of The New York Times, overseeing broad coverage of Wall Street, including banking, investing, markets and consumer finance. She was previously the deputy business editor of The Wall Street Journal. More about Anupreeta Das

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

For months, Ukraine’s electricity grid has faced repeated Russian missile and drone attacks  that have knocked out power plants and gutted substations. Now, it is contending with another, more unexpected threat: a sizzling heat wave.

After meeting with Donald Trump, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary wrote to a top E.U. official to say that Trump had told him he was planning a swift push for a peace deal  between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Parliament is in a state of disarray , denting the government’s credibility as it struggles to reset its war effort after months of Russian advances.

The Rise of Slaughterbots: Driven by the war, many Ukrainian companies are working on a major leap forward in  the weaponization of consumer technology .

Motorcycles and Mayhem: In the latest tactic for storming trenches, Russians use motorcycles and dune buggies  to speed across open space, often into a hail of gunfire.

Escaping the Russian Army: Facing grim job prospects, a young Nepali signed up to join Russia’s military, which sent him to fight in Ukraine. His ordeal turned into a tale worthy of Hollywood .

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Visits By Foreign Leaders of United Kingdom

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China's Communist Party removes ex-foreign, defence ministers from top body

China's Communist Party accepted the resignation of former foreign minister Qin Gang from its Central Committee on Thursday, Xinhua reported, during a major meeting of the party's largest top-level executive body.

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PM meeting with Taoiseach Harris of Ireland: 17 July 2024

Following their meeting at Chequers on 17 July 2024, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach issued the following joint statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Simon Harris discussed close relations between the United Kingdom and Ireland and agreed that the time was right for a reset of the partnership.  

They noted that the ties which bind both countries span geography and history, family and business, politics and culture, and agreed to work together over the coming weeks to put in place arrangements to support, encourage and strengthen all aspects of relations. 

As a first step towards rebuilding this unique partnership, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach committed to Annual Summits at which they will take stock of joint work to deepen and reinvigorate cooperation. 

They discussed the Good Friday Agreement as co-guarantors and their shared commitment to its principles and institutions, and to furthering prosperity and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. They discussed legacy issues, working to support all communities and victims in Northern Ireland.

Their discussions also covered global issues including support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. They both agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis. The Taoiseach welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to closer cooperation with the European Union.

The Prime Minister and Taoiseach agreed to meet again in Dublin on 7 September.

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