Starmer and Biden Meet: Focus on Ukraine Amid Putin Threats

President Biden welcomed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the White House on Friday afternoon.

After showing Starmer around the Rose Garden, they proceeded to the Blue Room, reported the BBC.

Also Read: Keir Starmer To Meet Biden at White House Amid Talks on Global Issues And UK-EU Relations

There, at a long rectangular table, the two delegations took their seats, with Biden and Starmer positioned at the heads of the table and each accompanied by seven colleagues.

While Ukraine was the primary focus of the discussions, other significant issues were also addressed, including the Middle East, China, and Iran. Downing Street had previously aimed to present this meeting as a chance for a more in-depth dialogue than what is typically possible in standard international summits.

The UK has been actively advocating for Kyiv’s request to fire Western missiles into Russia, BBC added.

However, Biden remains concerned that such a move could lead to a direct conflict between America, Europe, and Moscow— a possibility that Vladimir Putin has hinted at recently.

While Putin’s previous threats have often amounted to little, there’s a chance this time might be different.

Diplomacy and intelligence efforts are now focused on understanding the psychology of a wartime leader and predicting his potential reactions. The concern is whether Putin might consider a military strike on a NATO member state, which could drag the entire Western alliance into a war with Russia.

Alternatively, there is worry about whether Ukraine’s allies would tolerate lower-level retaliatory actions, such as cyber attacks or sabotage of undersea communication cables, BBC added.

It was unlikely that this meeting would settle the issue of Western missiles, particularly since further discussions with other parties at the United Nations are anticipated soon.

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