U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the British vote to leave the European Union in separate phone calls on Friday with British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House said, according to Reuters.

During his conversation with the British Prime Minister, Obama assured Cameron that the special U.S. relationship with Britain and Britain’s membership in NATO remained vital cornerstones of American policy, the report said.

Obama and Merkel both said they regretted the decision of British voters but respected the will of the British people, the statement said.

Earlier on Friday, hours after British citizens voted in a referendum to leave the EU, Cameron announced his plan to resign.

“The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered. It is not a decision that was taken lightly,” he said. “There can be no doubt about the result.”

“I was absolutely clear about my belief that Britain is stronger, safer and better off inside the European Union. And I made clear the referendum was about this and this alone, not the future of any single politician, including myself,” added Cameron.

“But the British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump welcomed Britain’s vote, saying that locals “took back control of their country” by voting in favor of leaving the EU.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)