Johnson and Biden: What did the leaders talk about?

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The leaders met in the White House for the first time

Boris Johnson met US President Joe Biden in the White House for the first time on Tuesday.

The prime minister is currently in the United States meeting other global leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to talk about climate change and what needs to be done to tackle it.

He sat down with Mr Biden on Tuesday for a 90-minute meeting where the pair spoke about a number of important issues.

Climate change was discussed

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Climate discussions have been taking place ahead of COP26

Mr Johnson and Mr Biden spoke about the importance of tackling climate change.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Biden announced the US would double its climate finance pledge and increase funding for developing countries to $11.4bn (£8.3bn) by 2024 in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

It comes after the prime minister admitted that getting wealthy nations to stick to their promise of providing developing countries with a total of $100 billion a year to help them tackle climate issues would "be a stretch" ahead of the latest UN meeting.

Mr Johnson said the US had "stepped up to the plate" with what he called a "massive contribution" towards the $100bn goal for countries to raise.

The UK-US trade deal was discussed

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Boris Johnson has been keen to agree on a trade deal with the US

During their meeting, Mr Johnson and Mr Biden spoke about trade between the the UK and the US. The UK government has expressed its desire to strike a deal with America now that it's no longer a part of the EU.

What is a trade deal?

A trade deal is an agreement between two or more countries which makes it easier for goods and services to be exchanged between the nations by reducing the barriers stopping the import or export of items.

Barriers that can make trade more difficult between countries include tariffs, which are taxes placed on items making them more expensive, or quotas, which are limits on the number of goods one country can sell in another.

Despite the two world leaders discussing the possibility of a trade deal, the BBC understands that UK ministers are now considering joining an existing North American trade pact instead of pursuing a separate deal after Joe Biden played down the chances of agreeing on a post-Brexit free trade deal with the UK.

The leaders also spoke about Afghanistan

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Afghanistan: What led to the Taliban taking over?

Mr Johnson and Mr Biden discussed the current situation in Afghanistan. They agreed all possible methods should be used to stop conditions getting worse in the South Asian country.

The leaders also said any international recognition of the Taliban, which is an extreme Islamic group that has taken over Afghanistan, must only happen if the group are respecting human rights.

It comes after a request by the Taliban to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly which is going on in New York this week.

Gifts were exchanged

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The prime minister also met with vice president Kamala Harris

The meeting between the two leaders also involved a traditional exchange of presents.

Mr Biden gave the prime minister a framed photo of their first meeting in Cornwall at the G7 summit in June, and a White House branded watch, according to officials.

Mr Johnson gave the president a signed copy of a book written by British astronaut Tim Peake with an inscription expressing hopes that it "provides a reminder of what we're fighting to save as our countries tackle climate change together".

The prime minister's gift comes weeks ahead of the COP26 climate summit, which is seen as a crucial moment to bring climate change under control.