logo
France's Macron to visit UK as Starmer eyes ‘reset' with EU

France's Macron to visit UK as Starmer eyes ‘reset' with EU

Arab News7 days ago
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron is to begin a state visit to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, where he is set to address the British Parliament and co-chair a meeting on Ukraine as London seeks to strengthen its ties with Europe after Brexit.
King Charles III has invited the French leader and his wife, Brigitte, on a three-day official visit during which Macron is to hold joint discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the 37th Franco-British Summit on Thursday.
Talks will focus on aid to Ukraine, joint efforts to halt illegal migration crossing the Channel, and strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
'This is the first state visit to the United Kingdom by a European Union head of state since Brexit,' the Elysee Palace said on Friday, referring to the UK's 2016 vote to leave the bloc.
'And, especially, the first since Prime Minister Starmer signalled what he called a 'reset' of relations between the United Kingdom and Europe,,' it added.
There were simmering political tensions between Paris and London in the immediate aftermath of Brexit under the previous right-wing Conservative British government.
But there has been a new warmth in relations under the center-left Labour government led by Starmer, and the two countries now lead European efforts to find peace for Ukraine.
Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that Macron would formally address the British Parliament on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand.
The king will host Macron and his wife for a state banquet at his Windsor Castle residence, west of London, where the couple will also stay.
While in Windsor, Macron will privately visit St. George's Chapel to lay flowers on the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
During the visit, Macron and Starmer will host the 37th Franco-British Summit in London on Thursday, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defense ties between the two countries in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The agreements will be 'adapted to this profoundly changed strategic reality,' the Elysee Palace said, without offering further details.
Macron and Starmer will also co-chair talks bringing together countries 'willing' to strengthen Kyiv's defenses against Moscow.
The two leaders will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the French presidency said.
This comes after the United States, Ukraine's biggest military backer since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, said Tuesday it was halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Russia launched its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight on Friday.
The summit will touch upon the deployment of 'a reassurance force' to Ukraine after a ceasefire and how to 'increase pressure' on Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire, the Elysee Palace said.
Another topic high on the agenda is agreeing on a strategy to halt migrants making perilous small boat crossings of the Channel, a key political issue in the UK.
As more small boats land on English shores, and the UK government comes under mounting pressure from the far right to tackle irregular migration, London has pressed Paris to do more.
In recent weeks, France said it is considering stopping migrant boats in its shallow coastal waters, though the move raises safety and legal issues.
And on Friday, the British government said it welcomed footage showing French police stopping a small boat carrying migrants from setting off across the Channel.
The French president's visit follows King Charles's state visit to France in 2023, which was widely regarded as a success that helped boost relations.
The last state visit by a French president to the UK was made by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump Says He's Considering 'Taking Away' Rosie O'Donnell's Us Citizenship
Trump Says He's Considering 'Taking Away' Rosie O'Donnell's Us Citizenship

Al Arabiya

time8 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

Trump Says He's Considering 'Taking Away' Rosie O'Donnell's Us Citizenship

President Donald Trump says he is considering taking away the US citizenship of a longtime rival actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell despite a decades-old Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits such an action by the government. 'Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,' Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday. He added that O'Donnell who moved to Ireland in January should stay in Ireland if they want her. The two have criticized each other publicly for years – an often bitter back-and-forth that predates Trump's involvement in politics. In recent days O'Donnell on social media denounced Trump and recent moves by his administration including the signing of a massive GOP-backed tax breaks and spending cuts plan. It's just the latest threat by Trump to revoke the citizenship of people with whom he has publicly disagreed most recently his former adviser and one-time ally Elon Musk. But O'Donnell's situation is notably different from Musk who was born in South Africa. O'Donnell was born in the United States and has a constitutional right to US citizenship. The US State Department notes on its website that US citizens by birth or naturalization may relinquish US nationality by taking certain steps – but only if the act is performed voluntary and with the intention of relinquishing US citizenship. Amanda Frost a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law noted the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the Fourteen Amendment of the Constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship. 'The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,' Frost said in an email Saturday. 'In short we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.' O'Donnell moved to Ireland after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win his second term. She has said she's in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage. Responding to Trump Saturday O'Donnell wrote on social media that she had upset the president and 'add me to the list of people who oppose him at every turn.'

Croatian PM receives GCC chief in Dubrovnik
Croatian PM receives GCC chief in Dubrovnik

Arab News

time9 hours ago

  • Arab News

Croatian PM receives GCC chief in Dubrovnik

DUBROVNIK: Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi was received by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the Dubrovnik Forum in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on Saturday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the 'latest developments in free trade agreement negotiations and a proposal to hold a joint Gulf-European conference on energy security,' the General Secretariat said in a report. They also reviewed relations between the GCC and Croatia, and discussed ways to develop and strengthen ties to serve mutual interests.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store