President Joe Biden spoke by phone Tuesday with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, congratulating her on being elected to the post. The two leaders promised to strengthen their relationship and stand united against Russia.
“I look forward to deepening the special relationship between our countries and working closely to address global challenges, including continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression” President Biden tweeted.
The two leaders may meet during the proceedings of the UN General Assembly later in September. Mrs. Truss won an election within the ruling Conservative Party on Monday and took over as prime minister from Boris Johnson on Tuesday as Britain faces some of its biggest challenges in decades.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Biden and Truss discussed deepening cooperation in NATO and the US-Australia-Britain security agreement signed last year as a counterweight to China. Truss expects to “work closely with President Biden as a leader of free democracies to address shared challenges, particularly the extreme economic problems caused by Putin’s war” the statement said.
A White House statement said the two leaders discussed continuing to work closely on the conflict in Ukraine, dealing with challenges posed by China, preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and “ensuring stable and reliable sources of energy.” affordable energy”.
Washington and London have been aligned in efforts to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia and to counter China’s influence in the Pacific. But a trade deal that some British officials hoped could offset the trade and economic losses of Britain’s exit from the European Union has yet to be reached with Mr. Biden’s administration.
A US official said the White House expects the good US-British relations under Mr Johnson’s government to continue under Mrs. Truss’s and that President Biden and Prime Minister Truss are likely to be on the same page in opposing the Russian attack on Ukraine and China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
President Biden enjoyed a good relationship with Mr. Johnson, but he may have tensions with Mrs. Truss over Northern Ireland.
As a member of parliament, she introduced legislation to undo the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was part of Britain’s exit deal from the European Union. The protocol prioritized safeguarding the 1998 Belfast Agreement for peace in the British-controlled region.
President Biden has insisted that Britain does nothing that could jeopardize 25 years of peace in Northern Ireland.
The British statement on the phone conversation said the two leaders “agreed on the importance of protecting the Belfast Agreement”.
State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel reiterated the United States’ position on the Northern Ireland peace deal.
“The priority of the United States remains to protect the benefits of the Belfast Agreement and maintain peace, stability and prosperity for the people of Northern Ireland,” he said.
