Rishi Sunak meets US President Joe Biden at the White House (instagram) /IANS
Washington, June 9 (IANS) Visiting UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden have unveiled a new economic partnership called the “Atlantic Declaration” designed to strengthen co-operation between the two nations.
This was Sunak’s first visit to the Oval Office since assuming office in October 2022.
The partnership will also reduce vulnerabilities” across supply chains and “keep Russia out of global civil nuclear power market”, reports the BBC.
It also covers areas such artificial intelligence, information sharing in crises, 5G, 6G, and civil nuclear power.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday after their meeting at the White House, the President said: “There is no issue of global importance, none, that our nations are not leading together and where we’re not sharing our common values to make things better.”
Biden also thanked the British Prime Minister for his partnership on Ukraine, and hailed the relationship between their countries.
“You know Prime Minister Churchill and Roosevelt met here a little over 70 years ago and they asserted that the strength of the partnership between Great Britain and the United States was strength of the free world. I still think there’s truth to that assertion,” he added.
According to the White House, Ukraine would be “top of mind” during the Biden-Sunak meeting.
In his news conference, Biden further said he was confident that Congress would continue providing support for Ukraine, despite a divide among Republicans, CNN reported.
“The fact of the matter is that I believe we’ll have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes… I believe that we’re going to get that support, it will be real.”
The US and UK have been the leading contributors of military aid to Ukraine, and are coordinating on providing F-16 fighter jets to reinforce long-term deterrence against Russia.
On his part, Prime Minister Sunak said the new Atlantic Declaration “sets a new standard for economic co-operation, propelling our economies into the future so we can protect our people, create jobs and grow our economies together”, the BBC reported.
The UK and US have “always pushed the boundaries of what two countries can achieve together”, according to No 10 Downing Street.
The two nations have “shared intelligence we don’t share with anyone else” and “built the strongest investment relationship in world history,” he added.
So it is “natural” that they would look to each other to build a stronger economic future together, Sunak noted.
“Today’s agreement is about strengthening and deepening co-operation not looking inward and protectionism. It’s about co-operation on the big economic issues of our time.
“This President (Biden) and his administration is completely attuned to he needs and concerns of its allies on these issues,” Sunak added.
