Rishi Sunak has been mocked after only getting to meet Joe Biden in the corner of a hotel bar over a cup of tea in Northern Ireland this morning.
It is far from a formal bilateral meeting progressing a UK-US free trade deal, which many had hoped for during President Biden's visit.
Critics blasted the meeting for not lasting "long enough for biscuits to be served" - let alone to discuss US-UK relations, while a US official dubbed the gathering as a “bi-latte”.
The US President faced a volley of questions from reporters over the cuppa - including if he had a message for Northern Irish parties and why he was not discussing a trade deal while on his visit to the UK.
But he declined to answer, instead commenting on the "heck of a view" from the upper floors of the hotel Grand Central Hotel.
A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said: "This had been billed as an opportunity for the PM to hobnob with Biden - but it turned out their coffee didn't even last long enough for biscuits to be served."
Mr Sunak's interactions with President Biden, who is travelling around Ireland for four days, included this morning's coffee and a greeting on the tarmac after the US President arrived on Air Force One last night.
From one camera angle, Mr Sunak couldn't be seen as he was blocked by the Beast, the US presidential car imported for the special occasion.
The two leaders left the airport in separate cars shortly after the US president arrived in Northern Ireland on Air Force One.
Mr Biden left the runway with a large motorcade.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and the King's personal representative for County Antrim, Lord-Lieutenant David McCorkell, were also among the welcoming party.
Asked about the little interaction between Mr Sunak and President Biden, the PM said: "Well, it's the fourth time that President Biden has visited the UK since he's become President.
"He and I had a very good discussion today about a range of issues, economic investment in Northern Ireland, but also a range of foreign policy issues - the importance of economic security.
"And that comes on the back of a meeting I had with him last month in the US. I'm seeing him again next month at the G7 and then I'm going to Washington in June.
"We're very close partners and allies. We cooperate and talk about a range of things, whether that's supporting Ukraine or as I said, economic security. I think actually the relationship is in great shape and the President and I have lots that we're working on together."
President Biden, whose visit is to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, yesterday said the main purpose of his trip was to “keep the peace, that’s the main thing”.
The White House said he would use the trip to reaffirm support for the Good Friday Agreement and to encourage the restoration of powersharing - something that collapsed due to the DUP's protest over post-Brexit rules.
President Biden, who is intensely proud of his Irish ancestry, has been criticised by senior DUP figures.
MP Sammy Wilson Claimed the president "has got a record of being pro-Republican, anti-Unionist, anti-British" while former first minister Baroness Foster has suggested he "hates the UK".
But the suggestion he was anti-British was rejected by Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the US National Security Council, who said: "It's simply untrue - the fact that the president is going to be engaging for the third time in three months, and then again next month and then again in June, with the Prime Minister of the UK shows how close our co-operation is with the UK.
"And before that, the president had numerous calls and meeting with prime minister Johnson, and prime minister Truss as well."
No10 yesterday dismissed the prospect of an imminent UK-US free trade deal progressing during President Biden's visit.
When pressed on why the meeting was so low-key, with a quick chat on the tarmac and a coffee in the morning, the PM’s deputy spokesman said yesterday: “I wouldn't characterise it as that.
"You've seen the President's actions during his time demonstrate that we have a close relationship.
“His first visits outside of North America was to the UK where he met both the Queen and the Prince of Wales.
“He's visited the UK since, so we will continue to have incredibly positive working relationships with the President and the US government.”
There has been a £7million security clampdown for President Biden’s day-long visit as part of celebrations for the anniversary of the historic 1998 peace deal.
An extra 300 officers have been drafted in from across the UK and a US security detail flew into Belfast last week as part of what is believed to be the biggest security operation in Belfast since the G8 summit there in 2013.
It comes as four suspected pipe bombs were found in a cemetery in Northern Ireland yesterday just hours before President Biden touched down in Belfast.
Police officers recovered the devices from Derry and made them safe before taking them away for further forensic examination.
The discovery was described by police as a "sinister and worrying development".
It followed masked protesters throwing petrol bombs at a police vehicle in the Creggan area of Derry on Monday.
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