The foreign minister said she had discussed the UK’s “cast-iron commitment” to the Good Friday Agreement during a meeting with US politicians.
Liz Truss said it was “great” to welcome a bipartisan delegation to the US Congress, led by top Democrat Richard Neal, with topics ranging from a peace treaty to the “importance of free trade” and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This comes amid heightened tensions over the post-Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland.
Mr Neal, head of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Strong Ways and Means, also spoke with International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday.
Reports of talks with cabinet ministers are subtle in detail, with only tweets to guide their discussions.
The delegation’s visit was followed by a warning from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Congress would not support a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom if the government insisted on “deeply concerned” plans to “unilaterally reject” the Northern Ireland Protocol. .
Ms Truss said of her meeting: “Great reception by @RepRichardNeal @WaysMeansCmte with members of the US Congress today… We discussed our cast-iron commitment to the Belfast Agreement (Good Friday), the importance of free trade and our condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion Ukraine. ”
Ms Trevelyan said she was “happy” to welcome the delegation to her department to discuss trade issues between Britain and the United States, as well as the situation in Ukraine, but did not explicitly mention post-Brexit tensions.
She tweeted: “I am delighted to welcome @RepRichardNeal @RepKevinBrady and the US Ways & Means Committee delegation to @tradegovuk to discuss trade, Ukraine and watch the glorious rehearsals for Trooping the Color #PlatinumJubilee.
A spokesman for Sir Cair said his meeting included talks on the need to defend the Good Friday Agreement by providing a working Protocol for Northern Ireland.
The Labor leader and congressional delegation also touched on the need to be ambitious and creative in US-UK trade dialogues, as well as the importance of Western unity in the face of Russian aggression in Europe, the spokesman said.
In a firm intervention on Thursday, Ms Pelosi called on the United Kingdom and the EU to continue negotiations on post-Brexit trade agreements in order to maintain peace in the region.
The congresswoman said in a statement: “Good Friday agreements are the foundation of peace in Northern Ireland and a beacon of hope for the whole world.
“Ensuring that there is no physical border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is absolutely necessary to maintain this landmark agreement that is transforming Northern Ireland.
“It is deeply worrying that the United Kingdom is now seeking to unilaterally reject the Northern Ireland Protocol, which preserves the important progress and stability forged by the agreements.
The latest controversy was sparked by Ms Truss’s announcement Tuesday that the United Kingdom intends to pass a law repealing parts of the Brexit withdrawal treaty it has signed with the EU.
The foreign minister told the House of Commons that the move was necessary to cut “unnecessary bureaucracy” and protect the Good Friday Agreement, arguing that EU proposals “would deviate from the situation we have today”.
The ongoing dispute over the agreement has stalled efforts to form a decentralized government administration in Belfast, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to join the executive branch unless its concerns about the situation are addressed.
Ms Pelosi’s intervention was met with contempt by former Brexit minister Lord Frost, who called the statement “ignorance” of the “realities of Northern Ireland”.
“There is no plan to set a physical limit,” he told the BBC.
“No one has ever offered this, so I don’t know why she is proposing this in her statement.”
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson also described Ms Pelosi’s contribution as “completely useless”.
Ms Pelosi is not the only senior figure in Washington who has expressed concern about UK-EU relations in recent days.
Derek Cholet, a senior adviser to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, said on Friday that the “big battle” between the UK and the EU was the “last thing” the US wanted.
Mr Neil told The Guardian that part of his job was to persuade the UK not to breach the Brexit treaty.
“It simply came to our notice then. “They are talking about violating it, so part of my job is to convince them not to violate it,” he said.
“My goal is diverse, but we really want to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and remind everyone that on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, it is working wonderfully.
“I would like to remind everyone in the United Kingdom, in Northern Ireland, that it should not be treated as a cavalier achievement.
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