LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told US President Joe Biden on Friday that London’s support for Ukraine was “unwavering”, in a first call hours following Britain’s new leader took charge.
Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement that the two sides reiterated their steadfast commitment to Kyiv and the prime minister underscored that London’s support for Ukraine was unwavering.
The statement maintained that they discussed their shared commitment to the special ties between the Washington and London, and their aligned ambitions for greater economic growth.
It said PM Starmer looked forward to working side by side across the breadth of the ties, including the AUKUS partnership and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The US, UK, and Australia have forged a new defence alliance in recent years nicknamed AUKUS, which is seen as mainly aimed at countering Beijing’s growing military strength in the Asia-Pacific region.
The call between the two leaders comes just days before they will rub shoulders next week in Washington at a NATO meeting.
President Biden had earlier congratulated Starmer on leading his party to a landslide general election win. “I look forward to our shared work in support of freedom and democracy around the world, and to further strengthening the special ties between our two countries,” President Biden said on social media.
