U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the United Kingdom ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit on Tuesday.

The British government hopes a multibillion-dollar technology deal will show the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of the Western alliance.

State visits in Britain blend 21st-century diplomacy with royal pageantry.

King Charles III will host Trump at Windsor Castle on Wednesday before talks the next day with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, the British leader’s rural retreat.

Rubio's arrival in the UK on Tuesday evening followed a brief visit to the Middle East.

On a visit to Israel, he warned that there was a “very short window of time in which a deal can happen” to end the war in Gaza.

He continued to Qatar, where he met with its ruling emir.

Qatar is incensed over an Israeli strike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official.

Rubio thanked Qatar, which has been a key negotiator in efforts to reach a ceasefire, for playing that role, according to a statement from his office, which did not directly acknowledge the Israeli strike.

He also highlighted the countries’ close ties.