US President Joe Biden will host Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Friday, where they will express support for the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement and the recent deal between the UK and the EU on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, the White House said.
The leaders will meet in the White House for a St Patrick's Day celebration and will discuss support for Ukraine amid the continuing conflict with Russia, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
"They will reaffirm their steadfast support for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement as we approach its 25th anniversary and welcome the recent agreement between the UK and EU on the Windsor Framework as an important step in preserving the agreement’s peace dividend," Ms Jean-Pierre said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month struck a deal with the EU on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, saying it would pave the way for a new chapter in the UK's relationship with the bloc.
The deal seeks to resolve issues raised by the Northern Ireland protocol, a complex agreement that set trading rules for the British-ruled region, which London agreed to before it left the EU but later said were unworkable.
The issue of Northern Ireland has been one of the most contentious related to Britain's 2020 departure from the EU.
A return to a hard border between the province and Ireland, an EU member, could have jeopardised the peace deal.
Mr Biden, who often speaks with pride of his Irish roots, had welcomed the agreement reached last month between the UK and the EU.
He described it as an "essential step" to ensuring that the peace from the Good Friday Agreement was preserved.
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The Chicago River is dyed green for the St Patrick's Day parade, 2022. AP -
The annual tradition in Chicago stems from 1962, when city workers dumped 100 pounds of dye into the river. AP -
It left the Chicago River emerald green for an entire week and the tradition was born. AP -
People take a selfie with the green river in the background. AP -
Members of the Plumbers Union dye the river green before this year's celebrations. AP -
New York City Police Department Emerald Society practise before the St Patrick's Day parade on Fifth Avenue. Reuters -
Bagpipers warm up near Fifth Avenue in New York. AP -
The St Patrick's Day parade winds its way through the Manhattan borough of New York City. Reuters
