British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden give a press conference at the White House. © Susan Walsh/AP/dpa
"Joe and I" is what the British prime minister says about himself and the US president, who celebrates the British as close allies at the same time. The message: Both states are walking in lockstep.
Washington - US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak invoked the transatlantic partnership between the two countries during the head of government's first visit to the White House.
In addition to deepening economic cooperation and continued support for Ukraine, the U.S. and U.K. also want to move in lockstep in regulating artificial intelligence. "There is no country closer to us today than the UK," Biden said at the joint press conference.
Technology and Democracy
Washington and London are determined to work together to build resilient, diversified and secure supply chains and reduce strategic dependencies, the White House said after the meeting between Biden and Sunak. The aim is to take a leading role in "future technologies" and ensure "that new technologies work for our democracies and our security and not against them." In addition, it is about "further strengthening our alliance in the areas of defence, health security and space".
"Countries like China and Russia are willing to manipulate and exploit our openness, steal our intellectual property, use technology for authoritarian purposes or deprive us of important resources such as energy," Sunak said. But they will not succeed in doing so. Sunak spoke of an economic partnership with the US "for a new era that has never been seen before". Asked about the fact that the cooperation falls far short of the free trade agreement desired by London, the Prime Minister replied: "Joe and I had already discussed this earlier: the economic relations between our two countries have never been stronger."
Biden: "not a country in which we have more confidence"
Biden emphasized his belief in London for leadership in regulating artificial intelligence. There is "no country in which we have more confidence" to meet the challenges, said the US president. In view of the rapid development in the field, the UK is planning an international summit, which Sunak also talked about at the meeting with Biden. Sunak spoke in the White House of "guardrails" with which the powerful technology - which in many fields could bring great benefits as well as great damage - must be kept in check.
On the topic of military support to Ukraine in the defensive fight against Russia, both leaders reaffirmed their long-term support for Kyiv. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin believes the alliance is getting tired and giving up, Sunak said. "But this is not the case (...) We're not going anywhere." We will be there for Ukraine as long as it is necessary. Biden said they are also counting on long-term support to "deter future aggression."
Irritation about meeting in hotel bar
The meeting at the White House was already the fourth of the US president with the Briton in four months. The British government was keen to emphasise this fact as a sign of the traditionally close ties across the Atlantic. It is still clear how Biden, during his recent visit to Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, fobbed off the British prime minister with only a short bilateral meeting in a hotel bar, only to celebrate his descent from the Emerald Isle for days in Ireland. British media were irritated.
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My Area
Later, the US Democrat, who is almost twice as old as the conservative Briton, said he had wanted to make it clear to the British with his trip that they had to stick to the hard-won agreement with Brussels on the Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. One reason for Biden's skepticism is the UK's exit from the EU. In contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump, who held out the prospect of a quick major trade pact for the British after Brexit, Biden was never a fan of Britain's exit from the EU.
In the meantime, however, relations are said to have improved, diplomats said before the visit. This is mainly due to the great British commitment to Ukraine. Again and again, Sunak has rushed ahead with arms deliveries, be it battle tanks, longer-range cruise missiles or the building of a "fighter jet coalition". However, Biden and Sunak did not talk publicly about more detailed plans for a possible delivery of American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after their meeting. Dpa