Joe Biden is in the UK - what is the Ukranian talking point placing him at odds with Rishi Sunak?

Joe Biden will meet with Rishi Sunak while in the UK (Getty)Joe Biden will meet with Rishi Sunak while in the UK (Getty)
Joe Biden will meet with Rishi Sunak while in the UK (Getty) | Getty

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Ahead of a NATO summit, Joe Biden has stopped in the UK after several allies questioned a decision made over Ukraine

When it was announced that President Joe Biden would fly to the UK this week, many were focusing on how he would meet King Charles for the first time since his coronation earlier this year. But the attention has now diverted to the political issues that surround his visit.

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The US president landed at Stansted Airport on Sunday and today (Monday, July 10) he will meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. But what will they discuss?

Among various issues, a big talking point will undoubtedly be Ukraine. More specifically, the decision by the US to send a widely banned type of weapon to aid Ukraine's cause.

The type of lethal weapon in question is the cluster bomb - a type of bomb that when dropped or launched releases many small bomblets over a wide area.

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A photograph taken on July 3, 2022 shows an tail section of a 300mm rocket which appear to contained cluster bombs launched from a BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket launcher embedded in the ground after shelling in Kramatorsk, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)A photograph taken on July 3, 2022 shows an tail section of a 300mm rocket which appear to contained cluster bombs launched from a BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket launcher embedded in the ground after shelling in Kramatorsk, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)
A photograph taken on July 3, 2022 shows an tail section of a 300mm rocket which appear to contained cluster bombs launched from a BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket launcher embedded in the ground after shelling in Kramatorsk, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP) | AFP via Getty Images

It's a point of contention here because the UK - and Canada - are among the leading nations who have voiced concerns about supplying cluster bombs because of the danger they frequently pose to civilians near targets. They can also remain on the ground for a long period of time before detonating.

While Mr Sunak has not yet directly criticised Biden's approach here, on Saturday he did point out that the UK was one of 122 nations signed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty banning the production or use of the bombs.

The US has said that the weapons are needed in Ukraine because the eastern European nation's weapon stocks are now drastically low.

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The decision was approved on July 7 as part of a $800 million military aid package.

Mr Biden told CNN it had been a "very difficult decision" but that he had eventually acted because "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition".

While Germany has said it "understood" the decision from the US, Spain and New Zealand are two other NATO members that have criticised the move.

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