President Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Thursday to aid Ukraine’s fight against Moscow for as long as it takes, saying a long-term commitment will force Russian President Vladimir Putin to reconsider whether the war is worth it.
The Kyiv commitment was one of several areas of agreement between the leaders, who have struggled to strike a bilateral trade pact but said after their Oval Office meeting that they are committed to better economic ties, including the protection of mineral supplies and the safe application of technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Mr. Biden said he is convinced Congress will provide what it takes to support Ukraine even as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pumps the brakes, saying he won’t bust through recently negotiated spending caps amid talk of a supplemental package for Ukraine.
“The fact of the matter is that I believe we’ll have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” Mr. Biden said.
The president said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine repel Russian invaders and strengthen Kyiv’s military over the long term.
Likewise, Mr. Sunak said Britain is committed to sharing the burden so that Mr. Putin thinks twice about prolonging the conflict.
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“There is no point in trying to wait us out, we’re not going anywhere,” said Mr. Sunak, the 43-year-old head of government who is making his first visit to the White House since becoming prime minister in October.
The two men have met several times, including on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia last fall, in Japan at the Group of Seven meetings last month, in Northern Ireland in April, and in San Diego in March for a trilateral meeting on defense partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
Ahead of his trip, Mr. Sunak told reporters that the U.S. is Britain’s closest ally.
“We are one another’s partner of first resort when it comes to everything from keeping our people safe to growing our economies,” he said. “That’s why it is so important for a U.K. prime minister to forge a close and candid relationship with the president of the United States — on every global problem, you will see us working side-by-side.”
Mr. Biden said the relationship between the countries is in “real good shape” and compared the meeting to historical ones between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, though said new challenges are on the horizon.
“The global economy is undergoing the greatest transformation that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution,” Mr. Biden said.
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Underscoring the rapid change, the British plans to hold a global artificial intelligence summit in the fall that will bring together researchers and tech companies and discuss ways to monitor risks from AI.
“Our economies are seeing perhaps the biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution as new technologies provide incredible opportunities but also give adversaries more tools for harm,” Mr. Sunak said, echoing Mr. Biden.
“The one thing I know won’t change,” he said, “is the strength of our partnership, our friendship. We will put values front and center as we’ve always done to deliver for the British and American people.”
Despite the rosy outlook for the bilateral relationship, both leaders were forced to highlight crises closer to home at the start of a joint press conference.
Mr. Biden said he is sending air tankers to Canada to help stamp out wildfires that have caused dangerous smoke hazards across the U.S. and forced the White House to push a major Pride Month event to Saturday.
Mr. Biden said he spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday and offered any assistance Canada needs “to rapidly accelerate the effort to put out these fires, particularly those in Quebec, where the fires are having the most direct impacts on American communities.”
More than 600 U.S. firefighters have deployed to assist Canada since May. The U.S. has also provided firefighting equipment.
Mr. Sunak, meanwhile, said he offered assistance to French President Emmanuel Macron after a knife-wielding man attacked children in a park near the southeastern lake town of Annecy.
Four children aged three or younger — including a British national — were stabbed and are in critical condition, according to the BBC.
Police overpowered the suspect and identified him as a 31-year-old Syrian with refugee status in Sweden.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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