US, UK deepen cooperation on AI, clean energy, reaffirm support for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cemented their already close bilateral economic relationship on Thursday with an agreement to strengthen cooperation in regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI), the chains of supplies and accelerate the transition to clean energy, while sending a message of support to Ukraine.

Biden and Sunak signed the “Atlantic Declaration” in Washington, a new pact that the British prime minister described as the first economic partnership of its kind, in line with the demands of the 21st century.

Under the new agreement, the UK and the US will strengthen their supply chains for critical minerals, develop future technologies and invest in both countries’ industries.

“Our economies are undergoing perhaps their biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution, as new technologies offer incredible opportunities, but also give our adversaries more tools,” insisted the British prime minister, the first of Hindu descent to hold the high post. .

On the subject of security and AI, Britain will host the first summit on the subject next autumn, to discuss how the risks of the new technology can be mitigated through coordinated international action.

Ukraine at the center of talks

Biden and Sunak also sent a message of support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and reaffirmed “unwavering support” for Kiev, Biden stressed at a joint press conference after the meeting.

The US and UK are the countries that have sent the most military donations to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Both nations also play a central role in the plan announced in May that includes sending F-16 jets to Kiev and training for its use.

“As long as we can provide support to Ukraine, not just here and now, that support that will last for a while and for years to come, I think it sends a strong signal to (Russian President Vladimir Putin) that there is no point in trying to to let time pass to win,” said Sunak.

This is Sunak’s first visit to Washington since he took office. Both leaders have met four times in the last four months. Their last meeting was in Hiroshima, Japan, during the G-7 summit last month. Before that they had exchanged in Belfast in April and in San Diego in March.

Sunak brought Biden two gifts, a custom Barbour jacket and a book written by a 19th-century ancestor of Biden’s.

The British leader visited the US Capitol on Wednesday, where he met with Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress.

Sunak said on Wednesday the new alliance would help London and Washington protect supply chains and navigate a global economy where new powers are “manipulating global markets, withholding crucial resources and trying to establish stranglehold on industries that will define our future.”

[Con información de Reuters y AP]

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