Biden and Sunak discuss Ukraine, China, Northern Ireland

(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak affirmed their strong support for Ukraine on Wednesday as they met for talks that included the blast that took place in Poland and challenges posed by China, the White House said.

The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Indonesia, would fully support Poland’s investigation of the Tuesday blast, the White House said in a statement.

Biden said earlier the missile that killed two people in Poland was probably not fired from Russia.

According to U.S. officials, initial findings suggested that the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile, the Associated Press reported.

Separately, a Downing Street spokesperson said the two leaders held Vladimir Putin’s Russia directly responsible for rising inflation and related global economic issues.

Biden and Sunak also agreed on the importance of sustained engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, the Downing Street statement added.

Both the statements said the two countries looked forward to upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement peace deal that promotes cooperation between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

(Reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams)