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Reuters
Mr Johnson met Mr Trump at the United Nations while he was UK foreign secretary
Boris Johnson has spoken to US President Donald Trump ahead of meeting him on Sunday for the first time since becoming prime minister.
The leaders, who will meet at the G7 summit in France, discussed “foreign policy issues and global trade” in a phone call on Friday evening.
No 10 said they “looked forward to speaking further” at the summit.
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Mr Trump has consistently praised Mr Johnson, and predicted a speedy US-UK trade deal after Brexit.
The UK wants protections for the NHS and animal welfare standards in any future deal.
A UK government spokesman said: “Of course we want to move quickly, but we want to get the right deal that works for both sides.”
The prime minister will meet Mr Trump for one-on-one talks on the sidelines of the summit on Sunday morning.
‘Energetic partner’
The G7 meeting in Biarritz – a get together of most of the leaders of the world’s largest economies – comes with just over two months until the UK is scheduled to leave the European Union on 31 October.
Mr Johnson, who will meet European Council President Donald Tusk on Sunday, will use his first summit as prime minister to insist that the UK will be an “energetic partner” on the world stage after Brexit.
Ahead of the summit, Mr Johnson said: “Some people question the democratic decision this country has made, fearing that we will retreat from the world. Some think Britain’s best days are behind us.
“To those people I say: you are gravely mistaken.”
His comments come after a hectic week of diplomacy, visiting Paris and Berlin in an effort to persuade the EU to amend the withdrawal agreement it reached with his predecessor Theresa May.
But Mr Johnson says the UK will leave the EU by the end of October, whether or not a new deal is reached.
He wants to renegotiate the Irish backstop – part of the agreement which aims to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit. But the EU has previously ruled this out.
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If implemented, the backstop would see Northern Ireland staying aligned to some rules of the EU single market, should the UK and the EU not agree a trade deal after Brexit.
Mr Johnson previously said that would mean “signing away” the UK’s “economic independence”.
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the onus was on the UK to find a workable alternative to the backstop.
But on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated the backstop would not be renegotiated by the EU, saying it was “indispensable” to preserving political stability and the single market.
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Mr Johnson met with Mr Macron at the Elysee Presidential Palace this week
After visiting his counterparts Mr Johnson reported “new mood music”, but said said reaching a new deal would not be “a cinch”.
The G7 summit runs from Saturday to Monday.
On Friday, Mr Macron – who is hosting the summit – and Mrs Merkel said the ongoing fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest must be discussed among the G7 leaders this weekend.