CARBIS BAY, June 10 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed US President Joe Biden on Thursday (Jun 10) as "a big breath of fresh air", and praised his determination to work with allies on important global issues ranging from climate change and COVID-19 to security.
Johnson did not draw an explicit parallel between Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump after talks with the Democratic president in the English seaside resort of Carbis Bay on the eve of a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies.
But his comments made clear Biden had taken a much more multilateral approach to talks than Trump, whose vision of the world at times shocked, angered and bewildered many of Washington's European allies.
"It’s a big breath of fresh air," Johnson said of a meeting that lasted about an hour and 20 minutes.
"It was a long, long, good session. We covered a huge range of subjects," he said. "It’s new, it’s interesting and we’re working very hard together."
The two leaders appeared relaxed as they admired the view across the Atlantic alongside their wives, with Jill Biden wearing a jacket embroidered with the word "LOVE".
Though Johnson said the talks were "great", Biden brought grave concerns about a row between Britain and the European Union which he said could threaten peace in the British region of Northern Ireland, which following Britain's departure from the EU is on the United Kingdom's frontier with the bloc as it borders EU member state Ireland.
The two leaders did not have a joint briefing after the meeting: Johnson spoke to British media while Biden made a speech about a US plan to donate half a billion vaccines to poorer countries.