Sir Keir Starmer will mark Armistice Day at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, in what signifies a major step in his plans to build bridges with one of the EU’s strongest powers ahead of a Brexit reset.
The prime minister has been personally invited by Emmanuel Macron, with the two leaders expected to discuss Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East amid other foreign policy issues.
During the morning, Sir Keir will host veterans, defence charities and British military personnel at the ambassador’s residence, and is also expected to meet the new French prime minister Michel Barnier.
The meetings come less than a week after it was confirmed that Donald Trump will be returning to the White House in January having been re-elected US president.
There are concerns over what a second Trump term could mean for US support for Kyiv and NATO.
The defence secretary John Healey insisted he expected the US to stand by Ukraine for “as long as it takes to prevail over (Vladimir) Putin’s invasion”, and the world will have to “wait and see” what he proposes after assuming power.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-politics-starmer-macron-trump-brexit-b2644808.html