LONDON: President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Theresa May spoke for the first time since a row over his retweets of a British extremist group, addressing vexing questions about Brexit and Middle East peace on Tuesday.

The call came nearly a month after the two clashed over Trump’s tweets of “Britain First” anti-Muslim propaganda and hours after London took the unusual step of voting against Washington at the United Nations.

Britain was among 14 UN Security Council members who backed a resolution condemning Trump’s decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, leaving the United States alone to veto.

“They discussed the different positions we took on the recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and agreed on the importance of the US bringing forward new proposals for peace and the international community supporting these efforts,” a Downing Street spokesman said.

“The President and Prime Minister discussed next steps in forging peace in the Middle East,” the White House said.

There was no mention of the Twitter feud from either side, a row that has put Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom in further jeopardy.

“The two leaders exchanged holiday greetings and warm wishes for Christmas and the New Year,” the White House said.

They also discussed Britain’s negotiations to withdraw from the European Union, with the British side claiming that they “agreed on the importance of a swift post-Brexit bilateral trade deal.”

There was no mention of such an agreement in Washington’s account of the call, although Trump has made similar pledges in the past.

Trump plans to visit Britain in February to open the new US embassy in London but will not meet Queen Elizabeth, the Daily Mail newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Trump’s planned visit to Britain has proved controversial since Prime Minister Theresa May invited him for a state visit, which typically involves lavish pageantry and events hosted by the queen. However, nearly 2 million people have signed a petition saying Trump should not be invited because it “would cause embarrassment” to the queen, and protests could be expected to greet the US leader.

Agencies