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British PM calls for deeper cooperation on Ukraine and Europe's problems
Starmer makes his bid for a reset in post-Brexit ties with the European Union
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as they attend the first plenary session at the European Political Community meeting in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Britain, on July 18, 2024. — Reuters
Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Thursday for closer cooperation in Europe to advance support for Ukraine and tackle the continent's most pressing problems: illegal migration, climate change and energy security.
Opening a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) of more than 40 nations at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, Starmer made his bid for a reset in post-Brexit ties with the European Union.
He distanced himself from the previous Conservative government which had threatened to withdraw from an international treaty on human rights, offering other European leaders a clean slate.
"Under my leadership, Britain will be a friend and a partner, ready to work with you, not part of the European Union, but very much part of Europe," Starmer said in his remarks, referring to Britain's exit from the EU after a 2016 referendum.
"United by our determination to defend them (shared values), and certain about what we can achieve together," he told other leaders at the EPC, a grouping distinct from the EU and created after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The one-day meeting provides Britain's new leader with another opportunity to push for closer defence cooperation especially before the possible election of Donald Trump who, alongside his new pick for running mate JD Vance, suggests that Europe must do more to protect its own security.
Two weeks after winning a large majority in an election and fresh from his first international trip to Nato in Washington as prime minister, Starmer took to the international stage again, calling on Europe to do more to support Ukraine against Russia.
"So our first task here today is to confirm our steadfast support for Ukraine," Starmer said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy again called on Western allies to allow long-range strikes on Russia, in particular on military airfields.
So far, Nato members have taken varying approaches to how Ukraine can use weapons they donate. But in a move that should better coordinate military support for Ukraine, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general who was invited to attend by Starmer's predecessor Rishi Sunak, said a command would be operational in Germany from September.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin drew a rebuke from other EU members as well as Zelenskiy, took a different tone, telling reporters the solution to war in Ukraine would be found at the negotiating table, not the battlefield.
Starmer has been determined to reset EU ties after Brexit sparked years of rancour. He has said he does not see Britain rejoining the single market or customs union in his lifetime.
European leaders generally welcomed Starmer's defence cooperation plans, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying: "This is a great opportunity for a reset."
A decision by Sunak to call the election early, on July 4, gave Starmer the opportunity to use Nato and the EPC to advance early talks, or at least set the mood music for friendlier ties.
Officials stress that the ultimate goal of negotiating a security pact, covering a range of areas such as energy, supply chains, pandemics and migration, will come much later in talks where the EU has been clear there will be no "cherry picking".
At Blenheim Palace, the leaders are also expected to discuss energy security, safeguarding democracy and migration.
But perhaps the most important to Starmer is the development of personal relationships with other leaders, something he says is essential to the way he works to get the best results.
He hosted Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris at his country residence Chequers on Wednesday and will entertain Macron over dinner later on Thursday.
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