Boris Johnson has admitted that “maybe” the withdrawal of British and American troops from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover could have been handled differently, but denies he felt snubbed by US President, Press Association reports.

During his trip to America for the United Nations General Assembly the Prime Minister was asked during an NBC interview whether it was true he had tried to contact President Joe Biden and had to wait for 36 hours for a response.

The Prime Minister responded: “I don’t discuss my calls with other leaders. For the best of my recollection, we talked very frankly about the whole thing.”

Boris Johnson squashed rumours that the President had been too “stubborn” over the withdrawal, adding: “America has been there for 20 years and it’s a respectable argument to say that enough is enough. Look, I mean, could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could.”

This comes as Boris Johnson raised the Afghanistan situation with other world leaders at the summit.

It comes after Mr Johnson raised the Afghanistan situation with other world leaders while at the

Downing Street said that the PM had met with both Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

On the meeting with President Erdogan, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The leaders thanked one another for their support around the evacuation of Afghanistan last month. The Prime Minister outlined his priorities on Afghanistan, including ensuring any international recognition of the Taliban is predicated on them respecting human rights and allowing safe passage out of the country.”

On the meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, they added: “The leaders discussed the situation in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister expressed his thanks to Qatar for their ongoing support evacuating British nationals from Afghanistan.

“The Prime Minister and Amir agreed on the importance of the international community working together to uphold stability and prevent a humanitarian crisis in the region. The Prime Minister underscored that any recognition of the Taliban should be conditional on them respecting human rights and allowing safe passage to those who want to leave the country.”