LONDON, May 30 – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden next week to discuss enhancing economic cooperation and sustaining military support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Sunak’s visit to Washington, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday next week, will include meetings with Biden, members of Congress, and U.S. business leaders. However, Sunak’s spokesman clarified on Tuesday that there would be no discussions regarding a formal free trade deal.
According to the spokesman, “The visit will be an opportunity to build on the discussions that the prime minister and President Biden have had in recent months about enhancing the level of cooperation and coordination between the UK and U.S. on the economic challenges that will define our future. There will also be an opportunity to discuss issues including sustaining our support for Ukraine.”
This will be Sunak’s first official visit to Washington since assuming the position of prime minister in October. His aim is to forge stronger ties with the U.S. following the strains caused by Britain’s departure from the European Union in 2020.
In April, concerns were raised about Biden’s stance on the United Kingdom after he spent a significant amount of time in Northern Ireland before traveling to the Irish Republic for meetings. A White House official had to deny any anti-British sentiment on Biden’s part.
The Biden administration has shown limited interest in negotiating a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom, which was previously touted as a major benefit of Brexit by its supporters. While discussions had advanced during former President Donald Trump’s administration, they stalled when Biden took office.
Sunak’s spokesman confirmed that there would be no talks about a free trade agreement during this visit. Instead, the focus will be on reducing trade barriers through other means, such as agreements with individual U.S. states.
The White House issued a statement highlighting that the two leaders would also address the situation in Northern Ireland, which has been without a devolved government for over a year.
The relationship between Britain and the United States is built on close defense, intelligence, economic, and cultural ties. Both sides are largely aligned in their support for Ukraine.
Sunak accepted Biden’s invitation to visit the White House during their meeting in San Diego in March. The purpose of the meeting was to inaugurate the next phase of the AUKUS submarine alliance between the United States, Britain, and Australia. The two leaders appeared to have a positive rapport, with Biden acknowledging Sunak as a graduate of Stanford University and expressing interest in visiting Sunak’s home in Santa Monica.
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