Joe Biden says US-UK relationship ‘rock strong’, regardless of disagreements over Ukraine

President Joe Biden has described the US-UK relationship as “rock solid”, regardless of reported disagreements over Ukraine.

Mr Biden advised 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 at 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 yr, 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 will even 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 experiences of disagreements concerning Ukraine’s ambitions for NATO membership and the US choice to offer Kyiv with cluster munitions, which the UK doesn’t help.

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 can 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 menace of China.

Earlier, Downing Street performed down experiences of a UK-US cut up, saying Ukraine’s need to hitch NATO can be mentioned on the summit in Lithuania later this week.

While the UK helps Ukraine’s need for a speedy accession to the army 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 experiences 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 choice to produce cluster munitions to Ukraine.

The UK is signed as much as a world conference to ban the weapons, putting an obligation on Mr Sunak to talk out in opposition to their use. The US will not be 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.”