Biden calls Canada's Trudeau, Mexico's López Obrador

President Joe Biden me his first calls to foreign leers as America's commander in chief on Friday, dialing up Canian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obror at a strained moment for U.S. relationship with its rth American neighbors.

Biden's call to Trudeau came after Canian prime minister this week publicly expressed disappointment over Biden’s decision — one of his first acts as president — to issue an executive order halting construction of Keystone XL oil pipeline. long disputed project was projected to carry some 800,000 barrels of oil a day from tar sands of Alberta to Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

In ir private conversation, Biden told Trudeau that by issuing order he was following through on a campaign pledge to stop construction of pipeline, a senior Canian government official told Associated Press. official spoke on condition of anymity to discuss private conversation between nations' leers.

Biden also spoke with López Obror on Friday, days after Mexican president accused U.S. Drug Enforcement ministration of fabricating drug trafficking charges against country’s former defense secretary.

While Mexico continues to pledge to block mass movements of Central American migrants toward U.S. border, re has been short of potential flashpoints between two countries.

Mexico demanded return of former defense secretary Gen. Salvor Cienfuegos after he was arrested in Los Angeles in October, threatening to restrict U.S. nts in Mexico if he wasn’t returned. U.S. prosecutors agreed to drop charges and return Cienfuegos to Mexico.

But Mexico passed a law restricting foreign nts and removing ir immunity anyway, and went on to publish U.S. case file against Cienfuegos, whom Mexican prosecutors quickly cleared of any charges.

López Obror said in a statement that conversation with Biden was “friendly and respectful." two discussed immigration and COVID-19, among or issues.

Trudeau told reporters before call on Friday that he wouldn’t allow his differences with Biden over project to become a source of tension in U.S.-Cana relationship.

“It’s t always going to be perfect alignment with United States,” Trudeau said. “That’s case with any given president, but we’re in a situation where we are much more aligned on values and focus. I am very much looking forward to working with President Biden.”

Biden signed executive order to halt construction of pipeline just hours after he was sworn in.

“Leaving Keystone XL pipeline permit in place would t be consistent with my ministration’s ecomic and climate imperatives,” Biden’s executive order said.

Critics say growing operations increase greenhouse gas emissions and threaten Alberta’s rivers and forests. On U.S. side, environmentalists expressed concerns about pipeline— which would cross Ogallala Aquifer, one of world’s largest underground deposits of fresh water — being too risky.

But proponents of project say it would create thousands of jobs on both sides of border.

project was proposed in 2008, and pipeline has become emblematic of tensions between ecomic development and curbing fossil fuel emissions that are causing climate change. Obama ministration rejected it, but President Donald Trump revived it and was a strong supporter. Construction alrey started.

Biden and Trudeau also discussed prospects of Cana being supplied with COVID-19 vaccine from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, according to a second senior Canian government official, who spoke on condition of anymity to describe a private conversation.

Cana has been getting all its Pfizer doses from a Pfizer facility in Puurs, Belgium, but Pfizer has informed Cana it won’t get any doses next week and will get 50% less than expected over next three weeks. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has publicly asked Biden to share a million doses me at Pfizer’s Michigan facility.

U.S. federal government has an agreement with Pfizer in which first 100 million doses of vaccine produced in U.S. will be owned by U.S. government and will be distributed in U.S. Anita Anand, Canian federal procurement minister, has said doses that are emerging from Michigan plant are for distribution in United States.

two leers also spoke broly about tre, defense and climate issues. Trudeau also raised cases of two Canians imprisoned in China in apparent retaliation for arrest of a top Huawei executive, who was apprehended in Cana on a U.S. extrition request, according to prime minister's office.

Im credits: @POTUS / Twitter