“I believe we’ll have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” Mr. Biden said, adding that a “vast majority” of his critics in Congress would agree that funding Ukraine would be better than allowing Russia to go unchecked. It also presented an opportunity for Mr. Biden to deepen his relationship with a young leader who is keenly aware that his role has historically been to be one of the closest allies to the American president. Both men hailed the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, with each taking time to praise the other for leadership on Ukraine. But Mr. Sunak, who has been in pursuit of a free-trade agreement with the United States — something that Brexit supporters in Britain promised as an alternative to membership in the European Union — will leave Washington with only a modest pact unveiled by both countries on Thursday. Mr. Biden, whose Inflation Reduction Act raised some concerns among allies, said that shoring up manufacturing in the United States and bolstering supply chains would “not hurt any of our allies and friends in terms of the trade pieces.”

Source: New York Times June 08, 2023 23:20 UTC