WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday reiterated their commitment to help Ukraine repel Russia's ongoing invasion, while agreeing to step up cooperation on clean energy and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
The leaders said they came to agreement on a new "Atlantic Declaration" to serve as a framework for bolstering cooperation between the two countries on clean energy transition, development of emerging technologies, and protecting technology that is critical to national security.
The leaders' wide-ranging talks at the White House also covered China, economic security, and more. Biden and Sunak have already had four face-to-face meetings since Sunak became prime minister in October, but the talks in Washington offered the two leaders a chance for their most sustained interaction to date.
"We will put our values front and center," Biden said as the two leaders sat down for talks in the Oval Office. The U.S. president later added at a joint news conference that there was no issue where "our nations are not leading together."
"We discussed how we can continue to adapt and upgrade our partnership to ensure our countries remain on the cutting edge of a rapidly changing world," Biden said.
As part of the declaration announced Thursday, the two sides will kick off negotiations on the use of minerals from the U.K. that are critical in the production of electric vehicles that are eligible for U.S. tax credits. The administration has also opened talks with the European Union and forged a deal with Japan that allow certain critical raw materials for EVs to be treated as if they were sourced in the United States.
Allies have raised concerns about incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act favoring the North American auto industry. The legislation -- one of Biden's key policy victories -- invests some $375 billion to transition the United States to cleaner cars and energy sources.
Sunak reflected on the significant conversations their respective predecessors have had over the years in the Oval Office and acknowledged that both he and Biden were facing their own daunting moment. The visit to Washington is Sunak's first since becoming Britain's prime minister in October.
"Our economies are seeing perhaps the biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution as new technologies provide incredible opportunities, but also give our adversaries more tools," Sunak said.
The 15-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine was high on the agenda. The U.S. and U.K. are the two biggest donors to the Ukraine war effort and play a central role in a long-term effort announced last month to train, and eventually equip, Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Biden reiterated confidence that Congress would continue to provide Ukraine funding as needed despite some hesitation among Republican leaders at the growing cost of the war for American taxpayers.
"The U.S. and the U.K. have stood together to support Ukraine," Biden said at the start of their meeting.
Sunak also is looking to make the case to Biden for U.K. Defense Minister Ben Wallace to succeed outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is set to end his term leading the 31-member alliance in September. Stoltenberg is slated to meet with Biden in Washington on Monday, and leaders from the alliance are set to gather in Lithuania on July 11-12 for their annual summit.
Biden also reflected that the two countries have worked through some of the toughest moments in modern history side-by-side, recalling the meetings that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt held in the White House.
"You know Prime Minister Churchill and Roosevelt met here a little over 70 years ago and they asserted that the strength of the partnership between Great Britain and the United States was strength of the free world," Biden told Sunak. "I still think there's truth to that assertion."
Sunak is keen to make the U.K. a key player in artificial intelligence, and announced that his government will gather politicians, scientists and tech executives for a summit on AI safety in the fall.
He said it was vital to ensure that "paradigm-shifting new technologies" are harnessed for the good of humanity.
"No one country can do this alone," Sunak said Wednesday. "This is going to take a global effort."
Biden said the challenges that come with the advancement of AI technology are "staggering."
"It is a limitless capacity and possibility but we have to do it with great care," said Biden, who added that he welcomed the U.K.'s leadership on the issue.
Information for this article was contributed by Jill Lawless and Matthew Lee of The Associated Press.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks as he meets with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden meets with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden shakes hands with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden laughs as he meets with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with Screech the Washington Nationals Mascot while attending the Washington Nationals v Arizona Diamondbacks baseball at Nationals Park during his visit to Washington, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (Niall Carson/Pool Photo via AP)
President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a news conference with President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Joe Biden listens as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Joe Biden listens as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)