Biden to hold bilateral talks with Sunak ahead of Ulster University speech
US President Joe Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Belfast today after arriving in Northern Ireland on Tuesday night as part of an historic four-day trip to Ireland.
Mr Sunak greeted the US president after Air Force One landed at RAF Aldergrove on Tuesday night ahead of engagements across the week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1998.
The two leaders met briefly before the president drove away in an armoured car.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris was also present as Mr Biden alighted from the aircraft with US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy.
Later, the leaders of Northern Ireland's main political parties will have the opportunity to engage with Mr Biden before he delivers an address at Ulster University's new £350 million Belfast campus.
The Stormont powersharing Assembly, which was established in the peace deal, is not currently operating due to a protest over post-Brexit trading arrangements by the DUP, the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland.
However, the White House said there will not be a formal group meeting with the leaders.
Mr Sunak will not attend Mr Biden's keynote speech, with Downing Street on Tuesday denying that the engagement between the pair would be "low-key".
Speaking to reporters, Mr Biden said that his top priority was to "make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement stay in place, keep the peace".
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
