Liz Truss Expects No UK-US Trade Deal Talks Anytime Soon

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said on Tuesday that a trade agreement with the United States is not foreseen in the coming years.

"There aren't currently any negotiations taking place with the US and I don't have an expectation that those are going to start in the short to medium term," Truss told reporters upon her arrival to the US, as quoted by the Sky News broadcaster.

The prime minister is currently focused on the issue of cooperation with international allies to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and is set to put it on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly in the coming days, the report said.

At the same time, Truss plans to develop cooperation with Eastern countries, India in particular. According to Sky News, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised New Delhi to conclude a trade agreement by the end of the year.

In addition, Truss intends to strike a deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, according to the report.

Truss is also working on the UK accession to one of the largest trading blocs, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which brings together 11 countries, including Australia, Canada and Japan.

Truss arrived in the US to participate in the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. The high-level week of the UNGA session will be held from September 20-26 in New York.

The participants include US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. China will be represented at the level of a deputy prime minister.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will head the Russian delegation and is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 24.