French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday concluded a three-day state visit to the UK with a summit aiming to “reboot” defense ties with a focus on joint missile development and nuclear cooperation.
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also discussed support for Ukraine and curbing undocumented immigration across the English Channel.
Ahead of the summit, which follows two days of events spanning pomp and politics, trade and culture, France and Britain announced that their “defense relationship” would be “refreshed.”
Photo: AP
They are to order more Storm Shadow cruise missiles — long-range, air-launched weapons jointly developed by the allies — while stepping up work on a replacement system.
The missiles have been shipped to Ukraine in significant numbers to help Kyiv in its war with Russia since 2022.
Starmer and Macron also agreed to deepen nuclear cooperation and “work more closely than ever before on nuclear deterrence,” the British Ministry of Defence said.
A new declaration would for the first time state that the British and French deterrents are independent, but can be coordinated, and that an “extreme threat to Europe” could “prompt a response by both nations,” the ministry said.
The partnerships — to be developed under a refreshed Lancaster House agreement first struck in 2010 — herald a new “entente industrielle,” making “defense an engine for growth,” it said.
“From war in Europe, to new nuclear risks and daily cyberattacks — the threats we face are multiplying,” Starmer said in a statement.
“As close partners and NATO allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defense collaboration and today’s agreements take our partnership to the next level,” he said. “We stand ready to use our shared might to advance our joint capabilities — equipping us for the decades to come while supporting thousands of UK jobs and keeping our people safe.”
Late on Wednesday, at a speech to London’s financial community, Macron said that the two sides were “stronger together.”
Starmer and Macron yesterday also participated via video link in a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on Ukraine.
Britain and France are spearheading talks among the 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.
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