In the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II's death on Thursday, President Joe Biden said he will be going to the British monarch's funeral.
"I don't know what the details are yet, but I'll be going," Biden told reporters Friday in Ohio.
The queen's funeral is expected to take place 10 days after her death, on Sept. 19, at Westminster Abbey in London. Protocol for each day leading up to the funeral is specified in the plan for the queen's death that has been in place since the 1960s, called Operation London Bridge.
The New York Post reports that Biden also told reporters he had not yet spoken to King Charles III, who ascended to the throne following his 96-year-old mother's death.
"I know him," Biden said. "I haven't spoken to him. I did not call him," the president said before traveling to his Wilmington, Delaware, home for the weekend.
According to The Hill, Biden is currently scheduled to appear alongside other world leaders in New York Sept. 19 for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.
The White House would not confirm if the president's schedule had been changed and if he would be attending the funeral.
"One of the things that we want to be mindful of, as you all know, there's a process, there's a protocol here — official protocol through which leaders are invited," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One en route to Ohio. "So we are not going to get ahead of that protocol."
Since her death, the queen's life has been honored by Biden: He released an official statement, signed a condolence book at the British Embassy and ordered the U.S. flag at the White House lowered to half-staff.
He also mentioned her at the beginning of his remarks at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) event on Thursday, according to The Hill.
"I had the opportunity to meet her before she passed and she was an incredibly decent and gracious woman," Biden said of the queen. "And the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief."
As he left the DNC event in Maryland late Thursday, the president told Daily Mail reporter Nikki Schwab that he would "probably" go to the funeral.
Biden would be the first sitting U.S. president to attend a British state funeral, according to the Post.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the queen's funeral, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday, Politico reports.
Peskov added that a decision will be made soon about the indidivual who will represent Russia at the ceremony.
In a statement Thursday, Putin offered condolences to the royal family and wished King Charles III "courage and resilience."
"For many decades Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed her subjects' love and respect as well as authority on the world stage," the Russian president said.
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