Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace at the Pentagon to reaffirm the U.S.-UK defense relationship.
The leaders discussed the importance of ongoing work to support Ukraine, including through the provision of security assistance, as Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war continues.
They also spoke about the AUKUS trilateral agreement and the opportunity to set an historic precedent in naval nuclear propulsion while simultaneously setting the highest nuclear non-proliferation standards.
Finally, the leaders spoke about the recently renewed U.S.-UK Statement of Intent on Enhanced Cooperation on Carrier Operations and Maritime Power Projection. This agreement reflects progress to deepen interoperability and will enable U.S.-UK carrier cooperation for the next decade.
The leaders look forward to meeting again this week at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and continuing to deepen the U.S.-UK special relationship.