Starmer
to join Macron on Armistice Day in Paris to show European solidarity
British and
French leaders will discuss Ukraine and defence amid fears for future of Nato
after Trump’s re-election
Jessica
Elgot Deputy political editor
Sun 10 Nov
2024 22.30 GMT
Keir Starmer
will join Emmanual Macron in Paris for the French Armistice Day service in a
pointed show of European solidarity days after Donald Trump’s re-election, with
Ukraine and defence on the agenda for private talks between the two leaders.
The visit
will have a symbolic element with Starmer becoming the first UK leader to
attend France’s national commemoration event since Winston Churchill in 1944.
No 10 and
the Élysée are said to be hoping it would be a significant European moment for
France and the UK, two leading Nato powers, amid fears on the continent of the
future of the alliance after Trump’s re-election.
The prime
minister will fly to Paris early on Monday to attend the event with French and
British veterans to mark the 80th anniversary of the start of the liberation of
France.
No 10 said
talks between the two leaders would “reflect on the close bonds between the two
countries, many forged and cemented by the sacrifice of British and French
soldiers on the frontline”.
Though
Trump’s election was not a formal part of the pre-agenda for discussion, No 10
said they would discuss Ukraine and Gaza.
Sir Keir
Starmer meets British soldiers on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire where he saw
Ukranian soldiers being trained by the army as part of Operation Interflux in
2022.
Whitehall
officials have been tasked with examining how Trump’s victory will affect the
final shape of the strategic defence review (SDR) due to be reported in the
spring. Starmer and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, are understood to be
planning to set out a path in advance of that deadline on how the UK can reach
the 2.5% of GDP defence spending target for Nato member states.
Starmer and
the foreign secretary, David Lammy, have cited the defence target as an area of
common ground with Trump, who has repeatedly called for Nato countries to
provide more funds and to reduce their reliance on US spending.
Trump has
previously urged Nato allies to spend 3%, a marked increase from the current UK
level. Speaking at a campaign in August, he said: “I’ll insist that every Nato
nation must spend at least 3%. You have to go up to 3% – 2% is the steal of the
century, especially as we’re paying for it.”
During the
US election campaign, he said he would find a solution to end Vladimir Putin’s
war in Ukraine “within a day”, but did not explain how he would do so. His
vice-president nominee, JD Vance, has been vociferously opposed to providing
more funds to support Ukraine.
The Wall
Street Journal reported that among Trump’s plans to bring about an end to the
conflict was the establishment of an 800-mile demilitarised zone between the
Russian and Ukrainian armies, policed by European troops.
Bryan Lanza,
a political adviser to Trump since his 2016 presidential campaign, suggested on
the BBC this weekend that Trump would force territorial concessions from
Ukraine.
“When
[Volodymyr] Zelenskyy says we will only stop this fighting, there will only be
peace, once Crimea is returned, we’ve got news for President Zelenskyy: Crimea
is gone.” But a spokesperson for Trump’s presidential transition team said
later on Saturday that Lanza had not been speaking on behalf of the
president-elect.
On Sunday, a
UK cabinet minister said the government was examining all possible options in
terms of a potential change of approach to Ukraine by the US.
Whitehall
officials were “considering and planning lots of different scenarios”, Darren
Jones told Sky News on Sunday. Jones said the UK would not be stepping back
from its own commitments. “We don’t want any countenance of the idea that we’re
stepping back from that. That’s why we’re offering them £3bn a year, which you
know, in the fiscal context here in the UK, is difficult but the right decision
for us,” he said.
“Officials
will be considering and planning lots of different scenarios – as they would do
under any administration – to make sure that the UK is in the strongest
possible position.”
However,
Jones said he would not specifically commit to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence
by the end of the current parliament, saying security and defence were a
priority but that meant “trade-offs” in other areas.
Military
experts have said the incoming Trump administration has given new impetus to
the need for Nato allies to “mend fences”.
Dr Karin von
Hippel, the director of the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, said it
was a symbolic moment to have the French president and Starmer stand united.
“It’s
important for the United Kingdom and the EU to mend fences and forge a stronger
relationship now that Trump has won. The same applies to UK bilateral relations
with European countries.
“America
will no longer be a reliable partner for any European country, including the
UK. So as much bridge building and scenario planning that can be done now is
critical, including deciding where they will push back on the United States
when they disagree.”
In Paris on
Monday, Starmer will also meet the new French prime minister, Michel Barnier,
the former Brexit negotiator whom Starmer met several times as shadow Brexit
secretary.
He will lay
a wreath at war memorials close to the Champ-Élysées and the tomb of the
Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
“I am
honoured to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the
fallen of the first world war who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom
we enjoy today,” Starmer said. “These events are vital in ensuring the memory
of millions of young soldiers, sailors, and aviators live on for generations to
come.”
Announcing
the visit, Starmer promised £10m of government funds for the 80th anniversaries
of VE Day and VJ Day on 8 May and 15 August next year, promising events to
involve tens of thousands of military personnel.
The prime
minister has repeatedly said the UK’s commitment to Ukraine would be “ironclad”
no matter the US president’s approach – though officials in Kyiv have told the
Guardian they are frustrated over Britain’s failure to supply additional
long-range missiles.
On Sunday,
the UK’s chief of the defence staff said approximately 1,500 Russian troops
were being killed and injured every day. Adm Sir Tony Radakin said Russia was
still paying an “extraordinary price” for Putin’s invasion and October was the
worst month for losses since the conflict began in February 2022.
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