President Biden on Saturday pledged to strengthen US relations with the United Kingdom and its other NATO allies in a phone call with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday.
According to a reading of the call shared by the White House, in the first call with Johnson since Biden’s inauguration, the president “conveyed its intention to strengthen the special relationship between our countries and revitalize transatlantic ties, underlining NATO’s critical role in our collective defense and shared values. ”
The White House added that Biden signaled his desire to work closely with Johnson, as the United Kingdom hosts the G-7 and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) this year.
The call also included discussions about the “need for coordination on shared foreign policy priorities, including China, Iran and Russia”.
Johnson was the first to announce the call on Saturday, tweeting a picture of him on the phone with the president and adding that he looks “Looking forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19.”
Great for talking to the president @Joe Biden tonight. I look forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/Y4P3G74PPz
– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 23, 2021
Old President Trump
Donald TrumpMcCarthy said he told Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene that he disagreed with his impeachment articles against Biden Biden, Trudeau agrees to meet next month that Trump planned to oust AG to overturn the election results in Georgia: report MORE criticized multilateral agreements, especially NATO, and threatened to withdraw from the alliance, claiming that some members did not pay enough for the defense.
Biden’s connection with Johnson follows on Saturday his conversation Friday with another NATO leader, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
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On the phone call, which was Biden’s first with a foreign leader since taking office, the two agreed to meet next month while Washington and Ottawa seek a reset in relations after four years of tension.
Canada has historically been the first trip abroad for any new president of the United States.
Biden, on his first day in office, signaled his desire to return to multilateralism, including through executive action that commits the United States to re-join the Paris climate agreement, that Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from following criticism that it hurt American workers.
Biden described the renewed commitment as an entry into his climate plan, which he plans to put the country on a path of zero net emissions by 2050.
Biden’s connection with Johnson comes as the two countries struggle against rising rates of COVID-19 infections, exacerbated by the new strain first found in the UK
Johnson announced on Friday that there is evidence to suggest that the British coronavirus strain spreads more quickly and has higher mortality rates, although National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins and infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci
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