During his visit to Northern Ireland, US President Joe Biden will not discuss the possibility of resuming trade talks between the US and the UK. Instead, he will be discussing peace, investment in the region, and efforts to support Ukraine with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Amanda Sloat, Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council, told reporters in Belfast that she does not expect the two leaders to discuss a free trade agreement during this visit. She added that more detailed discussions on economic issues may be possible during a planned meeting in June when Sunak visits Washington.
The UK has long advocated for a formal Free Trade Agreement with the US after leaving the European Union, but the Biden administration has shown no interest in this, putting discussions that had started under President Donald Trump on ice. Sunak has instead focused on seeking more narrow or sectoral pacts, but according to Bloomberg, he still hopes to secure a trade deal in "all but name."
During his visit to Northern Ireland, Biden also plans to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace agreement that largely brought an end to decades of violence in the region and to advocate for the region to strengthen economic ties with the US. However, the devolved Northern Ireland parliament, set up by the peace agreement, remains marred by gridlock, with the Democratic Unionist Party declining to join the power-sharing body because of disaffection with the terms of Brexit.
Biden will meet with the leaders of the five main Northern Ireland parties, but these engagements will not be a full conversation. According to Sloat, the president "would like to see the devolved institutions back up and running," but the main purpose of his visit is to mark the anniversary of the peace agreement.
Regarding the question of whether the US would support amending procedures to allow a non-sectarian party to participate in power-sharing agreements, Sloat deferred, stating that "ultimately that's going to be a decision for the people of Northern Ireland to make."