Biden, Sunak reaffirm ‘special relationship’, agree on supporting Ukraine

US president Joe Biden and new British prime minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday reaffirmed the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries in a telephonic conversation.

According to a White House statement, the two leaders also agreed on the “importance of supporting Ukraine”.

“The two leaders also agreed on the importance of working together to address the challenges posed by China and to secure sustainable and affordable energy resources,” the statement further read.

Biden and Sunak also discussed their commitment to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, it added.

Meanwhile, Sunak on Wednesday also said that the US and UK are “the closest of allies”.

“I look forward to working together with @POTUS to enhance stability across the world and continue our leading role in support of the people of Ukraine,” he wrote on Twitter.

This comes a day after Biden hailed Rishi Sunak as the next prime minister of the UK and called his win a “ground-breaking milestone”. Speaking at a Diwali event at the White House, Biden said that Sunak’s win is “pretty astounding”.

“A groundbreaking milestone, and it matters, it matters,” Biden was quoted as saying in reports.

Rishi Sunak officially became the new UK Prime Minister after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

Sunak replaced his once rival Liz Truss after winning the battle for leadership of Britain’s Conservative party. Penny Mordaunt – the last rival after Boris Johnson pulled out of the race after she failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs.

Sunak is the third UK prime minister this year and the youngest PM in two centuries.

Outgoing prime minister Liz Truss announced her intention to resign last week following an open revolt against her leadership in the Conservative Party. She is the United Kingdom prime minister with the shortest tenure so far – with just 45 days in office.