<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet US President Joe Biden in Washington next week for talks, Downing Street announced on Tuesday.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Biden invited Sunak to the White House when the British leader was in San Diego in March for the launch of a nuclear submarine deal with Australia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next week's meeting will build on talks the pair have had about closer cooperation on economic challenges such as supply chain security and net zero transition.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It will also be an opportunity to discuss issues including sustaining our support for Ukraine," Sunak's official spokesman told reporters in London.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sunak has carried on Boris Johnson's staunch support for Kyiv since Russia's invasion last year, announcing the supply of long-range missiles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Biden followed up by supporting the provision of advanced F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine at the recent G7 leaders' summit in Japan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overshadowing the talks will be the unresolved issue of a free-trade deal between the two countries, which London sees as a key prize since leaving the EU.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sunak's spokesman said that was not on the agenda. The UK has already signed trade agreements with North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is also seeking closer trading partnerships with US powerhouses California and Texas, and is in discussions with Utah and Oklahoma.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the G7, Sunak last met Biden when the US leader visited Northern Ireland for the 25th anniversary of the 1998 peace deal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Biden has criticised the UK for its stance on post-Brexit trading rules in Northern Ireland, warning it could undermine the hard-fought peace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sunak, who hosted Biden's wife Jill at a Downing Street coronation tea-party, is expected to be at July's NATO leaders summit with the US president. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>