A show of solidarity: Sunak meets Biden for the first time at the White House

In addition to intensive economic cooperation and continued support for Ukraine, the United States and Great Britain want to take steps to control artificial intelligence. “There is no country closer to us than Great Britain today,” Biden said at a joint press conference.

Washington and London are committed to building integrated, diversified and secure supply chains and reducing strategic dependencies, the White House said after the Biden-Chunak meeting. They want to play a leadership role in “future technologies” and ensure that “new technologies work for our democracy and our security, not against them.” Additionally, it is to “further strengthen our alliance in the fields of defence, health care and space”.

“Countries like China and Russia are willing to manipulate and exploit our transparency, steal our intellectual property, use technology for authoritarian purposes or deprive us of vital resources like energy,” Sunak said. But they can’t do that. Sunak spoke of the economic partnership with the US as “a new era like no other”. When asked if cooperation was far less than the free trade agreement that London wanted, the prime minister replied: “Joe and I have already discussed: the economic relationship between our two countries has never been stronger.”

Biden emphasized his hope in London for leadership in regulating artificial intelligence. The US president said there was “no country we have more confidence in” to overcome the challenges. Given the rapid development in the sector, the UK is planning an international summit, which Sunak discussed in his meeting with Biden. At the White House, Sunak spoke of “safety rails” by which powerful technology — which can bring great benefits and great damage in many fields — must be kept in check.

On the topic of military support for Ukraine in its defensive struggle against Russia, both heads of government reaffirmed their long-standing support for Kiev. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin believes the coalition is tired and giving up, Sunak said. “But that’s not the case (…) we’re not going anywhere.” You will be there as long as Ukraine needs you. Biden said he also expects long-term support to “prevent future aggression.”

It was the fourth meeting between the US president and Britain in four months at the White House. The British government was keen to emphasize this fact as a symbol of traditionally close ties across the Atlantic. It is still clear how Biden, who recently visited Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, impressed the British prime minister with a brief bilateral meeting in a hotel bar before celebrating his Irish heritage. From the Emerald Isle. The British media were outraged.

The American Democrat, who is almost twice as old as conservative Britain, later said she wanted to make clear to the British that with her trip she would stick to a tough deal with Brussels on Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. One reason for Biden’s skepticism is Britain’s exit from the European Union. Unlike his predecessor, Donald Trump, who promised the British a quick post-Brexit trade deal, Biden has never been a fan of Britain leaving 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. Sunak has repeatedly made progress in providing weapons such as main battle tanks, long-range cruise missiles or the establishment of a “fighter jet alliance”. After their meeting, however, Biden and Sunak did not speak publicly about detailed plans to supply Ukraine with American-designed F-16 fighter jets.