Advertisement

Boris Johnson expected to be hosted by Joe Biden at White House next week

President Joe Biden participates in a virtual press conference on national security initiative in the East Room of the White House in Washington with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson - Oliver Contreras
President Joe Biden participates in a virtual press conference on national security initiative in the East Room of the White House in Washington with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson - Oliver Contreras

Boris Johnson is expected to be hosted by Joe Biden at the White House next week as the two leaders seek to move beyond the contentious Afghanistan withdrawal.

Mr Johnson will be in New York to speak at the United Nations General Assembly but is expected to travel to Washington for a meeting with the US President, Axios reported.

It follows a virtual appearance by Mr Johnson at the White House on Wednesday evening for the announcement of a trilateral partnership, known as AUKUS, in which the US and UK will help Australia to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

As he watched Mr Johnson speaking on a screen in the White House East Room, Mr Biden smiled broadly and said he "looked forward to seeing you in person, very soon I hope".

The White House meeting will reportedly take place early next week.

Mr Biden is hosting the leaders of Australia, Japan and India at the White House on Friday next week.

Britain was among the most vocal of US allies in criticising Mr Biden's decision to abruptly draw down forces in Afghanistan.

The US President is seeking to refocus the attention of his allies, including Mr Johnson, on the growing global influence of China.

One senior US administration official said: "Great Britain is very focused on the concept of 'global Britain' and their tilt is about engaging much more deeply with the Indo-Pacific, and this [AUKUS] is a down payment on that effort."

The official said discussions about AUKUS had taken months of "very deep" talks at the highest military and political levels, among the "people closest to our leaders".

The official said: "I think what we heard in all those conversations is a desire for Great Britain to substantially step up its game in the Indo-Pacific.

"Obviously, Great Britain has enormous responsibilities and interests in Europe and in the Middle East, but it also has deep historical ties to Asia.

"I think they [Great Britain] have indicated to us that they do want to do more going forward, and I think this is a clear and decisive next step in that arena."

There were going to be more meetings between senior US defence and foreign policy officials, and their counterparts in the UK, in order to "align views" in future, the official said.

In addition to the China threat in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Biden is also expected to want to discuss with Mr Johnson the Cop26 international climate summit in the UK in November.

Mr Johnson's visit is part of a flurry of upcoming trips by members of the cabinet in the next few months, including the Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

It is being seen as part of a process of bolstering the special relationship in the wake of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and comments by Mr Biden about Northern Ireland.