Macron and Starmer pledge “unwavering” support for Ukraine

France and the UK will support Ukraine for as long as necessary "to thwart Russia's war of aggression", French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, UNN reports citing the BBC.

Details

Starmer joined the Armistice Day commemoration at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris as Macron's guest on Monday and met with his French counterpart to discuss the Russian invasion and stopping illegal migration across the Channel.

In a statement, the Elysee Palace said that both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to "support Ukraine unwaveringly and for as long as necessary to thwart Russia's war of aggression".

Their meeting took place amid questions about US President-elect Donald Trump's support for Ukraine after he said he could end the war "in one day.

In a subsequent statement, Downing Street said that the two leaders discussed how to put Ukraine in the "strongest possible position for the winter.

There were no details on whether the two leaders would support allowing Ukraine to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russian territory, the newspaper said.

The key decision maker, while London and Paris are expressing concern, as the newspaper points out, "remains President Biden, who has so far not authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia for fear of escalation."

Downing Street said "no war has ever been won by a single weapon" when asked if Britain had spoken to President Biden about the possible use of missiles.

A spokesperson for Downing Street said: "Our position on Storm Shadow has not changed.

"We have always maintained that when we discuss our support for Ukraine, we do so as part of a wider strategy to ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position going forward, particularly in the winter, and we have also made clear that no war has been won by weapons alone," a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.

After Trump's victory in the presidential election, questions have arisen about what his second term could mean for US support for Ukraine and NATO, the publication points out.

Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that Trump had already spoken to Putin, urging the Russian dictator not to escalate the war. The Kremlin denied the Washington Post article about the phone call as "completely untrue.

During the meeting, Starmer and Macron also pledged to "cooperate on migration issues in the English Channel, especially in the context of human trafficking networks," the statement said.

The pair discussed European security and the "prospects for relations" between the EU and the UK, as well as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

"Finally, the two leaders reaffirmed their desire to deepen bilateral relations, especially in the security and defense spheres," the statement said.

Earlier, British Defense Secretary John Healey said that if the reports of the call are true, "then President Trump is right to warn Putin against escalation in Ukraine.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast, he said he expects the United States to "remain unwavering" in its support for Ukraine because of the strength of "bipartisan support" in the country.

"We have increased our support for Ukraine, we have accelerated the delivery of aid, and we are now spending more on Ukraine and supporting Ukraine than ever," he added.

UK confident Trump will remain committed to NATO and UkraineNov 11 2024, 12:49 PM • 19331 view

The UK and France have said that supporting Ukraine against Russia is important when it comes to protecting the European continent as a whole, the newspaper writes.

Earlier, Trump called on NATO members to increase defense spending, saying that he would allow aggressors such as Russia to do "whatever they want" to those who do not, the newspaper points out.

At the same time, the publication reported that in response to a comment for BBC by Brian Lanza, who worked on Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, about the temporarily occupied Crimea and that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have a "realistic vision of peace," Donald Trump's spokesman distanced himself from his statements, saying that Lanza "does not speak for him."