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The leaders of Britain, France and Germany talked to US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday as he assured that the transition of power will take place as planned on January 20 despite Donald Trump”s refusal to concede the election.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that he congratulated Biden on his election victory.
Johnson’s support for Brexit and warm relationship with President Donald Trump have made many Democrats wary, but he was nonetheless among the first European leaders to congratulate Biden in a phone call.
“I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities — from tacking climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic,” he added.
Johnson’s office said the two men “discussed the close and longstanding relationship” between the two countries and promised to strengthen those bonds in areas including trade and security. Johnson invited Biden to attend the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow next November and said he looked forward to seeing him at a G-7 summit that the U.K. is due to host in 2021.
Across the Channel, French President Emmanuel Macron also revealed he had congratulated Biden on his victory during a phone call.
“We’ll have a lot to do together to promote shared priorities — climate, global health, international security — and effective multilateral action,” he added.
Macron had initially appeared to have struck a cordial relationship with Trump, but relations quickly soured when the US leader decided to pull his country out of the 2015 Paris Agreement for the climate and the landmark Iran nuclear deal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also among the European leaders who talk to Biden on Tuesday.
Her spokesman said in a statement that she congratulated both Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for their win.
“The Chancellor expressed the wish for a close and trusting future cooperation,” the statement read.
“The Chancellor and President-elect agreed that transatlantic cooperation is of great importance in view of the multitude of global challenges,” it added.
Merkel also appeared to have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship with Trump with the US President appearing to refuse to shake her hand during their first meeting in the Oval Office. A picture of her trying to talk a sulking Trump into signing a joint G7 statement also went viral.
But her relationship with his predecessor will be short-lived as Merkel is to step down next year.
The transatlantic phone calls on Tuesday come as Trump continue to refuse to concede the election to Biden and to allege widespread electoral fraud.
President-elect Joe Biden, who spoke to reporters for the first time on Tuesday since his election win on Saturday, described Trump’s failure to recognise his defeat as an “embarrassment”.
It marked the sharpest critique yet from the incoming president at the incumbent, as Trump’s team has refused to formally begin preparations for the transition.
The Democratic president in waiting predicted that “it will not help the president’s legacy.” and said that regardless of the Trump administration’s actions, his planning to assume power on Jan. 20 is continuing as scheduled.
