Washington: On Thursday, President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reaffirmed their commitment to assisting Ukraine in fending off Russia's on-going invasion while also pledging to intensify their cooperation on issues relating to artificial intelligence, clean energy, and essential minerals.
The "Atlantic Declaration," which the leaders described as a "first of its kind" agreement, will act as a framework for the two nations on issues relating to the development of new technologies, the protection of technology that is essential to national security, and other economic security concerns.
As the two leaders began their conversation in the Oval Office, Biden said, "We will put our values front and centre." At a subsequent joint press conference, he continued, saying that the agreement will help both countries "adapt and upgrade our partnership to ensure our countries remain on the cutting edge of a rapidly changing world."
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Negotiations on the use of UK minerals, which are essential for the creation of electric vehicles qualified for US tax credits, will begin as part of the declaration made public on Thursday. Additionally, the administration has begun discussions with the European Union and reached an agreement with Japan that permits some essential raw materials for EVs to be treated as if they were produced domestically.
Concerns about the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives favouring the North American auto industry have been voiced by allies. The law, one of Biden's major policy triumphs, commits $375 billion to the country's transition to cleaner vehicles and energy sources.
Sunak and Biden have already met four times in person since Sunak became prime minister in October, but the discussions in Washington provided the two leaders with an opportunity for their longest-lasting exchange to date.
Sunak acknowledged that he and Biden were each facing a challenging situation as he thought back on the significant discussions that their respective predecessors had over the years in the Oval Office. Sunak is making his first trip to the United States since taking office as prime minister of Britain in October.
As new technologies present incredible opportunities while also giving our adversaries more tools, Sunak said that our economies are undergoing what may be the biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution.
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Priority was given to the 15-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine. The US and UK are the two largest contributors to the war effort in Ukraine, and they are also key players in a long-term initiative to train and eventually equip Ukrainian pilots with F-16 fighter jets, which was announced last month.
Despite some reluctance on the part of Republican leaders due to the rising cost of the war for American taxpayers, Biden reaffirmed his confidence that Congress would continue to provide Ukraine with funding as required. At the beginning of their meeting, Biden stated that "the US and the UK have stood together to support Ukraine."
Additionally, Sunak persuaded Biden that Ben Wallace, the UK's defence minister, ought to succeed outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, whose tenure as head of the 31-nation alliance is set to expire in September.
On Monday, Stoltenberg and Biden are scheduled to meet in Washington, and the leaders of the alliance will meet in Lithuania on July 11 and 12.
Biden responded "it may be" but added "that remains to be seen" when asked if it was time for a UK leader for NATO. We will need to achieve consensus within NATO, he said.
In addition, Biden reflected on how the two nations had endured some of the most trying times in modern history together, recalling the White House meetings between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The strength of the alliance between Great Britain and the United States, they said when they met here a little more than 70 years ago, was the strength of the free world, Biden told Sunak. "I still believe that claim to be true."
A summit on AI safety will be held in the autumn, according to plans made public by Sunak, who wants to make the UK a leader in the field of artificial intelligence.
Making sure that "paradigm-shifting new technologies" are used for the benefit of humanity, he said, is crucial. Sunak stated on Wednesday that "no one country can do this alone." "This will require international cooperation."
The difficulties presented by the development of AI technology, according to Biden, are "staggering."
It has an infinite capacity and potential, but we must proceed with extreme caution, said Biden, who also praised the UK for taking the initiative on the matter. Sunak's visit comes as US and British intelligence officials are still attempting to determine who is to blame for the major dam breach in southern Ukraine, which caused floodwaters to gushe over towns and agricultural land. Washington and London have not formally charged Russia with detonating the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.
Although UK intelligence services are still evaluating the evidence, Sunak stated on Wednesday that "if it does prove to be intentional, it will represent a new low... an appalling barbarism on Russia's part."
"Russia has used a deliberate active strategy to target civilian infrastructure throughout this war," he told Washington-based broadcaster ITV.
The two sides sought to show that despite recent political and economic turmoil in the UK, the US and UK relationship is still as strong as ever. Since assuming office in 2021, Sunak is one of three British prime ministers with whom Biden has interacted. The two administrations have disagreed over Brexit and its implications for Northern Ireland.
Despite this, the Biden administration feels as though the US-UK relationship has improved after Boris Johnson's occasionally rocky presidency and Liz Truss' 45-day premiership.
According to Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, "I think there's a sense of relief to some extent, not just in the White House but throughout Washington, that the Sunak government has been very pragmatic and maintained the UK's robust commitment to Ukraine and to increasing defence spending." With Sunak, he continued, there has also been "somewhat of a return to pragmatism" regarding economic concerns and post-Brexit relations with the European Union.
At the press conference, Sunak made a point of stressing that the UK is still "as reliable an ally as ever."
After we left the EU, Sunak acknowledged that some people had wondered what kind of partner Britain would be. "Judge us by our actions," I would say.
At Blair House, the official presidential guest house on Lafayette Square, Biden extended an invitation to Sunak to stay. Foreign heads of state who came to visit the president frequently stayed at the White House before the US government bought Blair House in 1942.
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In a lighthearted moment, the president started telling a tale about how Churchill once wandered over to the president's family quarters in the early hours of the morning to wake up Roosevelt and start a conversation. Churchill was reportedly stopped by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt before he could reach the president.
Don't worry, Sunak chimed in. I won't bother you or the first lady, you can count on that.