US President Joe Biden and UK's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands during a bilateral meeting, on the sidelines of NATO's 75th anniversary summit, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, 10 July 2024;
Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein
(Reuters) - US President Joe Biden told the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he welcomed his desire for closer ties with European counterparts, according to a UK government statement on Thursday 11 July 2024.
Starmer met Biden in the White House's Oval Office on Wednesday 10 July 2024 where the two men discussed UK and US ties, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and England's football win in the semi-finals of EURO 2024.
"The President welcomed the prime minister's recent comments on establishing closer relationships with our European counterparts, as well as the UK's commitment to AUKUS," the British government said in a statement, referring to the security pact between the UK, the US and Australia.
"They reflected that at a time when we face growing challenges across the world, we are at our strongest when we unite and work together."
Starmer was in Washington for the NATO summit, where he also met European leaders including Germany's Olaf Scholz.
Starmer has said he wants the UK to reset relations with the European Union to improve cooperation in areas such as security and trade, seeking to dampen the rancour that stemmed from Britain's 2016 referendum to leave the bloc.
However he has ruled out any move to rejoin the European Union's single market or customs union.
The two leaders also agreed they must do whatever it takes to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, and discussed their joint desire for a ceasefire in Gaza to get hostages out, aid in and make progress towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
