President Biden and Rishi Sunak touchdown in Belfast for Good Friday Agreement 25th anniversary visit
Both leaders arrived at the International Airport last night
Last updated 12th Apr 2023
US president Joe Biden landed in Belfast last night (Tuesday) to begin his historic four-day trip to the island of Ireland.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was there to greet him after Air Force One landed at RAF Aldergrove on Tuesday night.
The two leaders met briefly before the president drove away in an armoured car amid a light scattering of snow.
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.
The US president will carry out several other 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.
He will meet the Prime Minister again on Wednesday for a bilateral meeting.
The leaders of Northern Ireland's main political parties will also have the opportunity to engage with Mr Biden before he delivers an address at Ulster University's new £350 million Belfast campus.
It will be the third in-person meeting between the two leaders.
In a briefing to journalists, Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the US National Security Council, said the focus of the meeting will be Northern Ireland, as well as touching on the war in Ukraine.
"I don't anticipate that the two leaders are going to be talking about a free trade agreement on this trip ... I think their conversation is going to focus primarily on the situation in Northern Ireland given that that's where they're meeting, as well as the chance to touch base on Ukraine and some other issues," she said.
Ms Sloat said the two leaders had the opportunity to touch briefly on economic issues when they met in San Diego, a conversation which she said will be "furthered and deepened" when they meet in Washington in June.
"We're continually looking for ways to engage with the UK on a whole range of economic issues," she added.
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 before his departure, he said that his top priority was to "make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement stay in place, keep the peace".
His son Hunter Biden and sister Valerie Biden Owen are believed to be accompanying him for the trip.
A major security operation will be in place for Mr Biden's visit, with more than 300 officers from the rest of the UK being drafted into Northern Ireland.
The PSNI has also warned of significant traffic disruption in Belfast during the presidential visit, with a number of roads in the city centre already closed.
Mr Biden will also travel to the Republic of Ireland, where he will carry out a number of engagements during his four-day stay, including a speech in Dublin as well as visits to ancestral homelands.
After he leaves Belfast on Wednesday, Mr Biden will cross the border to attend engagements in Co Louth.
The president has traced his ancestral roots to the area and he will tour Carlingford Castle in the county before spending the night in Dublin.
He is then expected to visit Irish President Michael D Higgins on Thursday.
It has been announced that Dublin'sPhoenix Park will be closed for 24 hours from 5pm on Wednesday to facilitate the visit.
Mr Higgins' official residence is within the park's grounds.
The White House said Mr Biden will take part in a tree-planting ceremony and ringing of the Peace Bell at the president's official residence, Aras an Uachtarain.
Following that ceremony, he will meet again with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, whom Mr Biden recently hosted for St Patrick's Day.
Mr Biden will address the Irish parliament and attend a banquet dinner at Dublin Castle on Thursday evening.
The president's trip will conclude with a visit to Co Mayo, where he has also connected with distant cousins, on Friday.
He will tour the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock and visit the North Mayo Heritage and Genealogical Centre's family history research unit.
He will then make a public speech at St Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina.
Preparations for President Biden's visit to Belfast 👇
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