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The UK prime minister Andy Burnham is due to meet US President Donald Trump for the first time at a meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York later on Tuesday.
Their conversation is likely to be dominated by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
It’s expected Burnham will urge Trump to provide more interceptor missiles for Ukraine, as well as discuss ways to restore the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which for the most part have been blocked since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February.
Since entering Downing Street in July, Burnham and Trump have spoken twice.
Trump described Burnham as “a nice guy”. Burnham, in his previous role as mayor of Greater Manchester, had said Trump was not welcome in the city and that he would refuse to meet him.
Since becoming prime minister, Burnham has said he will seek “common ground” with President Trump and take a pragmatic approach to the US-UK relationship.
Analysts say Burnham will be braced for criticism following his governments decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Olivia O’Sullivan from the Chatham House think tank said “Burnham has a bit of a tightrope to walk,” adding “He’ll want to build rapport. He’ll want to impress upon Trump and the US administration the European line on Ukraine and the need for continued support to Ukraine. And he’ll probably want to use the rest of his time at the UN General Assembly to highlight the UK government’s ongoing concerns about Gaza and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.”
Other areas of disagreement with Washington could include the regulation of US technology companies, immigration and energy policy.
Trump has made several comments recently deemed controversial in the eyes of the UK government, including support for Irish unification and questioning the future of the Falkland Islands, a territory that is governed by Britain but disputed by Argentina.
Following Trump’s own threats take control of Greenland earlier in the year, Burnham was among several leaders who expressed relief at the announcement of a deal between Greenland, Denmark and the US to bolster the American military presence there but keep the Arctic island under Danish control.
Burnham will address the annual gathering of world leaders on Tuesday, setting out his vision of Britain’s place in an increasingly fractured world order.
Additional sources • AP