Politics Trudeau tells Biden US leadership has been 'sorely missed'

President Joe Biden held his first bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday afternoon and reiterated the close relationship between the the two countries, saying there was "no closer friend" for the U.S. than Canada.

In his brief remarks, Biden spoke about their discussion at the G-7 virtual meeting Friday, recalling his message about democracy and the need to protect and prioritize it -- a veiled swipe at his predecessor.

"We spoke about this at the G-7, but it's worth saying again: I believe the leaders of the major democracies, we have -- or, as leaders of major democracies, we have responsibility to prove that democracy can still deliver for our people," Biden said.

Biden, Trudeau aim to move past Keystone pipeline disagreement in first bilateral meeting

Biden, Trudeau aim to move past Keystone pipeline disagreement in first bilateral meetingWASHINGTON/OTTAWA (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will try on Tuesday to move past an early disagreement after Biden blocked the Canadian-backed Keystone XL pipeline and look to reset relations after the rocky years of Donald Trump.

Biden is eager to address security threats from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic as well as China, Iran, Russia and North Korea. He irritated Ottawa early on by blocking the billion Keystone XL pipeline project to pump oil sands crude from Alberta to Nebraska, and proposing a “Buy Trudeau is aiming to show he is now aligned with Washington on issues including COVID-19, climate change and foreign policy, a Canadian government source said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the bilateral meeting. “ We expect the president, during the meeting, to highlight the strong

The letter was signed by the Democratic representatives from Washington State , located at the U . S .-Canada border, and the initiative was spearheaded by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene. The letter asks for President Biden to prioritize establishing a bilateral plan for easing restrictions and restoring travel, mandatory vaccination, and testing while crossing the border and to reciprocate the Canadian travel exemptions to allow families and loved ones to reunite, for example.

© Evan Vucci/AP President Joe Biden holds a virtual bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington.

"There are a lot of leaders around the world who are trying -- that's how we're going to win the battle for the future," Biden added.

Trudeau welcomed the U.S. back to the world stage, saying the country's leadership has been "sorely missed," and threw his own veiled swipe at the Trump administration over the repeated times they removed references to climate change from joint statements.

© Evan Vucci/AP

Seated at the table with Biden were Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

White House works to inject stateliness into a virtual visit from Justin Trudeau

When President Joe Biden welcomes his Canadian counterpart to the White House on Tuesday to "reinvigorate" a cross-border relationship strained under his predecessor, he will do so by addressing a large television monitor. © AP/Getty Images In-person visits from foreign leaders are still off-limits as the novel coronavirus continues to rage. So Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will beam into the West Wing from Ottawa, his bearded visage positioned next to Biden on a large screen as each man does his best to replicate the traditional choreography of a White House bilateral meeting.

President Joe Biden will host to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday for the first bilateral meeting of his presidency, but he will do it virtually. In pre-pandemic times, such a meeting would have been held with fanfare: Biden welcoming the Canadian prime minister with great pomp upon his arrival, an Oval Office talk between the two leaders , a joint news conference and perhaps a luncheon. But with both leaders stressing caution to their citizens, Biden and Trudeau are forgoing the typical protocol and holding their talks by video conference.

Biden is eager to address security threats from climatechange to the coronavirus pandemic as well as China, Iran,Russia and North Korea. He irritated Ottawa early on by blocking the billionKeystone XL pipeline project to pump oil sands crude fromAlberta to Nebraska, and proposing a "Buy American" programaimed at directing more U . S . spending toward domesticmanufacturers. Trudeau is aiming to show he is now aligned with Washingtonon issues including COVID-19, climate change and foreign policy,a Canadian government source said.

In her remarks, Harris brought up the time she spent living in Canada as a teenager while her mother taught at McGill University in Montreal. She said she looks forward to working on shared challenges, including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and Russia and China.

"We are neighbors. We are friends, as a country. And the challenges that we face, not only are -- as we've said about COVID and climate change -- also as the president will talk about and has mentioned, our challenges in terms of China and Russia, and what we can do in terms of working together on that and working together in term of strengthening and modernizing the U.N. and WTO," she said.

© Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets virtually with President Joe Biden, from his office on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, Feb. 23, 2021.

Biden and Trudeau are also expected to make remarks following the meetings.

This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.