US President Joe Biden to meet Sunak in UK, but tensions over cluster munition loom over

US President Joe Biden will kick start his trip to Europe with his first stop to the United Kingdom. However, the visit will be marred by the brewing tensions between the two nations that have emerged due to Washington’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. According to Sky News, Air Force One is expected to touch down at the Stansted Airport on Sunday evening and the US President will meet the British Premier on Monday. 

Biden’s stopover to the United Kingdom comes ahead of the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is touted to be on the top of the agenda in the two-day summit. Tensions might revolve around the meeting between Biden and Sunak since the two leaders will meet days after Sunak said that the United Kingdom will “discourage” sending cluster munition to Ukraine. “Well the UK is a signatory to the convention that prohibits the use of cluster munition and discourages their use. We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine,” Sunak reasoned on Saturday.  "We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion, but we've done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine,” added. 

The British Prime Minister described Russia’s action in the war as an act of “barbarism” and made it clear that Ukraine’s allies will collectively stand behind the war-stricken country. "Russia's act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people,” Sunak asserted. "It's right that we collectively stand up to it,” he furthered. 

What’s the International convention that’s stopping them? 

The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) also known as the Oslo Agreement is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer, production and stockpiling of cluster munitions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) was adopted in Dublin on 30 May 2008 and opened for signature in Oslo on December 3 of the same year. The international treaty has been signed by more than 100 nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany that prohibit the use of these weapons in a conflict scenario. The convention came into force on August 1, 2010, six months after the 30th instrument of ratification had been deposited. Today it is touted as one of the most effective instruments of International law.