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Biden and Sunak vow to support Ukraine and
counter China in first call
US president and new British PM reaffirm ‘special
relationship’ after Sunak becomes Britain’s third leader in 2022
Agencies
Wed 26 Oct
2022 03.46 BST
The US
president, Joe Biden, and Britain’s new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, agreed
during talks on Tuesday to work together to support Ukraine and stand up to
China, the White House said.
They spoke
for the first time a few hours after Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister
this year, inheriting an economic crisis after the resignation of Liz Truss
whose tenure lasted 49 days.
Only in
recent days has Biden appeared to publicly criticise Truss’s doomed economic
strategy, in a rare intervention by the US president. Relations between the two
countries have also been somewhat strained in recent years amid ongoing
tensions over post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland. The White House
holds concerns over the impact on peace in the region.
Biden and
Sunak reaffirmed the “special relationship” between the US and Britain, and
said they would work together to advance global security and prosperity, the
White House said in a summary of the conversation.
“The leaders
agreed on the importance of working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia
accountable for its aggression,” the statement said of the war triggered by the
Russian invasion.
Sunak has
promised the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that Britain’s support
for Ukraine will be steadfast and “as strong as ever under his premiership”, a
Downing Street spokesperson has said. “The prime minister said … President
Zelenskiy could count on his government to stand in continued solidarity. Both
leaders agreed on the need to continue to place pressure on Putin’s barbaric
regime through continued economic sanctions.”
For his
part, Zelenskiy said he believed “British leadership in defending democracy and
freedom” would only get stronger. “Ukraine and Britain have reached new heights
in relations lately but nevertheless we still have potential to strengthen our
cooperation,” he said in an evening video address, adding that he had invited
Sunak to visit Ukraine.
The White
House said Biden and Sunak also agreed to “address the challenges posed by
China”, which Washington has identified as its top geopolitical and economic
rival on the world stage.
Downing
Street had earlier released its own summary of the call, in which it referred
to efforts to “counter China’s malign influence”.
The
statement read: “President Biden congratulated the prime minister on his
appointment and the leaders looked forward to working closely together.
President Biden said that the UK remains America’s closest ally, and the prime
minister agreed on the huge strength of the relationship.
“The
leaders discussed the extent of UK-US cooperation, both bilaterally and in
regions such as the Indo-Pacific where the Aukus pact forms part of our efforts
to enhance stability and counter China’s malign influence.
“They
reflected on the leading role our countries are playing in supporting the
people of Ukraine and ensuring Putin fails in this war.
“The prime
minister and President Biden also agreed on the need to ensure the people of
Northern Ireland have security and prosperity through preserving the Belfast
(Good Friday) Agreement.”
The two
leaders are expected to meet in person at the G20 Summit in Indonesia next
month.
Britain has
been a key European ally of the US in arming and supporting the Ukrainian
military as it tries to repel the Russian invasion, which began in February.
Earlier on
Tuesday, Biden had congratulated Sunak in a tweet.
On Monday,
Biden described the naming of Britain’s first non-white prime minister as
“pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone”.
With Agence
France-Presse, Press Association and Reuters
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