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United States President Donald Trump has been pictured smiling and giving a thumbs up as he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in New York earlier this week. The official White House photograph shows the pair posing with their partners, US first lady Melania Trump and Mr Albanese's fiancée, Jodie Haydon. The prime minister previously posted a selfie with the president after they met for the first time at a leaders' reception hosted by Mr Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Mr Albanese had earlier confirmed that he had been invited to meet the president at the White House in October. It comes amid uncertainty over the future of the AUKUS partnership, with the Pentagon currently reviewing the plan for Australia to purchase American nuclear-powered submarines. Mr Albanese discussed the pact during a meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Friday, several weeks before he is due to visit Washington. "There is no indication that I've seen of anything other than support for AUKUS going forward," Mr Albanese told reporters in London. "It's in the interests of all three nations. It's in the interests of Australia, in the interests of the United States and in the interests of the United Kingdom." King Charles used a state banquet with Mr Trump last week to hail the AUKUS agreement as an "innovative and vital collaboration" between the three countries.
