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Blue-white-red friendship: US President Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

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MICHAEL REYNOLDS V EPA

US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have agreed on closer economic ties and cooperation on topics such as artificial intelligence. They signed the "Atlantic Declaration" in Washington, which Sunak described as the first economic partnership of its kind.

Other topics at the two men's fourth meeting in four months included the war in Ukraine, Northern Ireland, raw materials supply chains and clean energy. In the case of AI, the security risks must be addressed, Biden said. He spoke of the possibility of a fundamental technical change, which is probably unique in human history. "It's breathtaking," he said at a joint press conference.

Sunak has urged to strengthen trade ties between the UK and the US. After Brexit, the Biden administration had destroyed the prospects for a quick free trade agreement between the two long-standing allies. In addition, Sunak wants to win the support of the United States for the plan to make Defense Secretary Ben Wallace the new NATO chief.

atb/dpa/Reuters