President Joe Biden has described the US-UK relationship as “rock solid”, regardless of reported disagreements over Ukraine.
Mr Biden informed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak he “couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and greater ally” because the pair met this morning in Downing Street.
He joined the prime minister within the Downing Street backyard in the beginning of their talks, after greeting him on the door to Number 10.
The prime minister stated it was “great for us to carry on our conversation” following a string of conferences this 12 months, together with final month’s go to to Washington.
Mr Sunak stated the pair would contemplate “how we strengthen our co-operation, joint economic security to the benefit of our citizens”.
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Both leaders may also attend this week’s NATO summit in Lithuania.
Mr Sunak stated: “We stand as two of the firmest allies in that alliance and I know we’ll want to do everything we can to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.”
It comes amid stories of disagreements relating to Ukraine’s ambitions for NATO membership and the US resolution to supply Kyiv with cluster munitions, which the UK doesn’t assist.
But Mr Biden insisted: “Our relationship is rock solid.”
Shortly after assembly with Mr Sunak in Downing Street, Mr Biden headed to Windsor Castle in Berkshire for tea and talks with the King.
It was additionally confirmed there could be a “high-level” assembly between Number 10 and the White House in October to “drive progress” on the Atlantic Declaration – an settlement to bolster financial safety in response to the rising risk of China.
Earlier, Downing Street performed down stories of a UK-US break up, saying Ukraine’s want to hitch NATO could be mentioned on the summit in Lithuania later this week.
While the UK helps Ukraine’s want for a speedy accession to the navy alliance, the US has struck a extra cautious tone, with Mr Biden saying on Saturday that Ukraine was “not ready” for NATO membership at the moment.
Asked in regards to the divergence of view, the Number 10 spokesman stated: “Certainly, we do want to support Ukraine on the pathway to joining the alliance, the exact mechanisms for that are for discussion with Nato allies.”
He added that he had seen stories of a disagreement, however added: “I don’t believe that’s accurate.”
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Another concern that has divided Downing Street and the White House is the latter’s resolution to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine.
The UK is signed as much as a world conference to ban the weapons, inserting an obligation on Mr Sunak to talk out towards their use. The US is just not signed to the settlement.
The spokesman stated offering the weapons “was a difficult choice for the US” that had been “forced on them by Russia’s war of aggression”.
The two leaders “discussed the commitments that UK has under that convention, both not to produce or use cluster munitions and to discourage their use”.
Asked if Mr Sunak complied with that dedication to discourage the usage of the weapons in his talks with Mr Biden, the spokesman stated: “Yes, they discussed the requirements the prime minister is under because of this convention, and the UK is upholding that.”
Source: information.sky.com”