UK PM receives French president at country residence, with Ukraine at centre of conversation

, 10 January 2025, 12:21

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have met at the country residence of the UK prime ministers, with Ukraine being the central topic of their conversation.

According to the communiqué from the Elysee Palace, the meeting between Starmer and Macron took place at Chequers House, a 16th-century building 60 km from London that has been used as a country residence for UK prime ministers for more than 100 years.

"This new bilateral meeting focused on international goals, Ukraine, the Middle East, strengthening relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and deepening the relationship between France and the UK in the context of the upcoming Franco-British summit planned for the summer," the French side said.

The communiqué noted that the situation in Ukraine was "at the centre of the conversation".

"The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to coordinate closely in order to support Ukraine for as long as necessary. They stressed the importance of continuing to provide the weapons needed to defend Ukraine's territories and guaranteeing continued financial support for Ukraine beyond 2025. They also underlined the importance of providing Ukraine with security guarantees to protect it from new aggression," the Elysee Palace added.

In November, it was reported that Starmer and Macron spoke one-on-one for 20 minutes about Ukraine during the UK prime minister's visit to Paris.

At the end of 2024, at Macron's initiative, talks intensified about the possibility of a potential deployment of a contingent of European allies in Ukraine as a deterrent to a new Russian attack.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that such an idea had indeed been discussed at pre-Christmas meetings in Brussels and that he had already "seen positive responses" from some leaders.

Opening a meeting at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany on 9 January, Zelenskyy said he believed the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine was one of the best tools to force Russia to peace.

War with Russia