This weekend, President Joe Biden is headed to Europe. His first stop, the UK.

Biden is scheduled to meet with both his Royal Highness King Charles,

an old acquaintance and fellow head of state, and the right honorable Rishi Sunak,

Britain's Prime Minister, and a fellow head of government, who just visited Biden in Washington

this past month. On the agenda for these meetings, climate change, the war in Ukraine,

and the Trans-Atlantic Declaration. That's the diplomatic term for Biden and Sunak's push

to renew Britain and America's partnership across a host of economic and security issues facing

the West. So we could think of no one better here in Washington to discuss the US and the UK's

special relationship, the war in Ukraine, and the implications for this very weighty moment in

diplomatic history, then Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the United States.

I'm Ryan Liza. This is Playbook Deep Dive.

When it comes to diplomatic service in the UK, the ambassador ship to the US is the pinnacle of

achievement. Before she arrived in Washington, Pierce held an array of senior positions,

including ambassador ships to the UN, the WTO, and Afghanistan. She also directed British

policy throughout South Asia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan during some key years of the war on terror.

What Pierce is no stranger to this town, she served here early in her career, and now in her

second posting, she has used her insider's knowledge of Washington and its players to ascend to

the top of a lesser known hierarchy. She is the diplomatic corps top socialite, well known as much

for her shrewd insights about the peculiarities of Russian diplomats, as she is for hosting Suarez

for Washington's elite. And as you'll hear, Pierce, like many in her profession,

views her ability to pack a room with powerful people as a critical part of her job, gathering

insights and intelligence about what's really going on in Washington to report back to London.

...