Yahoo TV

STORY: Biden: “We don't have a closer ally than Great Britain."

U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the White House on Thursday and agreed to deepen close economic ties in what they called the "Atlantic Declaration,"

pledging to accelerate the clean energy transition and strengthen critical supply chains.

Sunak: “...thank you for welcoming me to the White House.”

The agreement between the two countries was described as a first-of-its-kind economic partnership that mapped out future cooperation on issues such as artificial intelligence, and other economic and commercial relations.

Later, the two leaders described other areas of cooperation in a joint press conference, including their continued support for Ukraine... with Sunak sending a strong signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin:

Sunak: "There is no point trying to wait us out, we're not going anywhere. We will be here for as long as it takes…And hopefully that will speed up the calculation in his mind that he should withdraw his forces."

Biden underscored support for Ukraine's long-term security and deterring aggression after the war ends.

Biden: "...and we're advancing this goal by providing them the support Ukraine needs now on the battlefield and helping them strengthen their military over the long term. The fact of the matter is that I believe we will have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes."

Biden and Sunak's meeting was the fourth in as many months for the two leaders.

Thursday's discussion also focused heavily on ensuring the safety of AI and other emerging technologies…

something Biden stressed needs attention.

Biden: "We're going to do more on joint research and development to ensure the future we're building remains fundamentally aligned with our values set in both our countries."

Biden and Sunak also agreed to launch a new civil nuclear partnership as part of their clean energy cooperation, which will include setting up new infrastructure over the long term and cutting reliance on Russian fuel.