U.S. President Donald Trump (L) welcomes Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (C) at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump met on Thursday with visiting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White Houseto discuss bilateral ties and other issues.

The two leaders discussed the further expansion of bilateral trade and investment as well as cooperation between their two countries as Britain is leaving the European Union (EU), said the White House in a statement released after the meeting.

Trump and Varadkar also talked about cooperation on cyber-security, according to the statement.

Varadkar's visit came as the White House is celebrating the annual St. Patrick's Day, a holiday that honors Irish culture.

The British parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, throwing the country's Brexit process into further chaos.

With May's second defeat over Brexit since January, the British people are facing a hard choice between a no-deal Brexit or a delayed Brexit.