Biden and Sunak vow to support Ukraine and counter China in first call - The Guardian

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The US president, Joe Biden, and Britain’s caller premier minister, Rishi Sunak, agreed during talks connected Tuesday to enactment unneurotic to enactment Ukraine and basal up to China, the White House said.

They spoke for the archetypal clip a fewer hours aft Sunak became Britain’s 3rd premier curate this year, inheriting an economical situation aft the resignation of Liz Truss whose tenure lasted 49 days.

Only successful caller days has Biden appeared to publically criticise Truss’s doomed economical strategy, successful a uncommon involution by the US president. Relations betwixt the 2 countries person besides been somewhat strained successful caller years amid ongoing tensions implicit post-Brexit arrangements successful Northern Ireland. The White House holds concerns implicit the interaction connected bid successful the region.

Biden and Sunak reaffirmed the “special relationship” betwixt the US and Britain, and said they would enactment unneurotic to beforehand planetary information and prosperity, the White House said successful a summary of the conversation.

“The leaders agreed connected the value of moving unneurotic to enactment Ukraine and clasp Russia accountable for its aggression,” the connection said of the warfare triggered by the Russian invasion.

Sunak has promised the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that Britain’s enactment for Ukraine volition beryllium steadfast and “as beardown arsenic ever nether his premiership”, a Downing Street spokesperson has said. “The premier curate said … President Zelenskiy could number connected his authorities to basal successful continued solidarity. Both leaders agreed connected the request to proceed to spot unit connected Putin’s barbaric authorities done continued economical sanctions.”

For his part, Zelenskiy said helium believed “British enactment successful defending ideology and freedom” would lone get stronger. “Ukraine and Britain person reached caller heights successful relations lately but nevertheless we inactive person imaginable to fortify our cooperation,” helium said successful an evening video address, adding that helium had invited Sunak to sojourn Ukraine.

The White House said Biden and Sunak besides agreed to “address the challenges posed by China”, which Washington has identified arsenic its apical geopolitical and economical rival connected the satellite stage.

Downing Street had earlier released its ain summary of the call, successful which it referred to efforts to “counter China’s malign influence”.

The connection read: “President Biden congratulated the premier curate connected his assignment and the leaders looked guardant to moving intimately together. President Biden said that the UK remains America’s closest ally, and the premier curate agreed connected the immense spot of the relationship.

“The leaders discussed the grade of UK-US cooperation, some bilaterally and successful regions specified arsenic the Indo-Pacific wherever the Aukus pact forms portion of our efforts to heighten stableness and antagonistic China’s malign influence.

“They reflected connected the starring relation our countries are playing successful supporting the radical of Ukraine and ensuring Putin fails successful this war.

“The premier curate and President Biden besides agreed connected the request to guarantee the radical of Northern Ireland person information and prosperity done preserving the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.”

The 2 leaders are expected to conscionable successful idiosyncratic astatine the G20 Summit successful Indonesia adjacent month.

Britain has been a cardinal European state of the US successful arming and supporting the Ukrainian subject arsenic it tries to repel the Russian invasion, which began successful February.

Earlier connected Tuesday, Biden had congratulated Sunak successful a tweet.

On Monday, Biden described the naming of Britain’s archetypal non-white premier curate arsenic “pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone”.

With Agence France-Presse, Press Association and Reuters

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