France's Macron kicks off 'historic' UK state visit
The French leader added that Paris and London were seeking to "deepen our cooperation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way". The first state visit by an EU head of state since the UK's acrimonious 2020 departure from the European Union, it is also the first by a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008. During his visit, Macron will hold several meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. After taking power in 2024, the British leader has been making good on his pledge to reset relations with European capitals following years of Brexit-fuelled tensions.
Their discussions are expected to focus on aid to war-torn Ukraine and bolstering defence spending, as well as joint efforts to stop migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats — a potent political issue in Britain. Calling the visit "historic", Starmer's office said it would showcase "the breadth of the existing relationship" between Britain and France.
Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted off the presidential plane on Tuesday at an air base northwest of London by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales. In a stylistic nod to her guests, the princess wore a Christian Dior jacket. A short time later Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, warmly welcomed the entourage to Windsor, amid a full display of British pomp and pageantry.
The Francophile king, who is believed to enjoy a warm rapport with Macron, could be seen chatting with him enthusiastically during their early interactions. Charles made a 2023 state visit to France, one of his first after ascending the throne and widely regarded as a success. After a 41-gun salute sounded from nearby Home Park and a royal carriage procession through the town, which was decked out in French Tricolores and British Union flags, the group entered the castle for lunch.
They returned there later for a state banquet in the vast medieval St George's Hall, when in a speech Charles is set to laud the vital partnership between France and the UK amid a "multitude of complex threats". "As friends and as allies, we face them together," he will say, according to Buckingham Palace. Before that, Macron will follow in the footsteps of predecessors Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand by addressing lawmakers in the UK parliament. The visit also aims to boost trade and business ties, with Paris and London announcing on Tuesday that French energy giant EDF will have a 12.5-stake in new British nuclear power plant Sizewell C.
On Wednesday, Macron will have lunch with Starmer and the two leaders will on Thursday co-host the 37th Franco-British Summit, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defence ties. Britain and France are spearheading talks amongst a 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces. The two leaders will dial in to a meeting of the coalition on Thursday "to discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia", Starmer's office confirmed on Monday.
They will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the French presidency. Irregular migration is also set to feature in talks between Macron and Starmer. The British leader is under intense pressure to curb cross-Channel arrivals, as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK party uses the issue to fuel its rise. London has for years pressed Paris to do more to halt the boats leaving from northern French beaches, welcoming footage last Friday showing French police stopping one such boat from departing. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
2 hours ago
- Observer
EU blasts Russia's attacks, threatens new sanctions
BRUSSELS: The EU's top diplomat on Friday slammed Russia's latest blitz on Ukraine as "unacceptable", saying the 27-nation bloc was pondering a new raft of sanctions against Moscow. Russia has pummelled Ukraine this week with the largest drone and missile barrages since Moscow sent troops into its neighbour more than three years ago. "Russia has increased its attacks against civilians to really cause as much pain... and that's unacceptable," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. Brussels was considering an 18th round of sanctions against Moscow and "we are also still in negotiations to put the oil price cap on, that would deprive Russia from the means to fund this war," Kallas said in an interview. Kallas was speaking on the sidelines of a regional meeting of foreign ministers in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, saying her presence was aimed at "doing outreach so that we can put more pressure together" on Russia. Asked about reported claims that Moscow was planning to involve military personnel from Laos to bolster its efforts in Ukraine, Kallas said she raised the issue with Vientiane's top diplomat in a meeting on Friday. Kallas said she was assured that Laos had "no intention or willingness" to send military help to Russia. "I also expressed that it has consequences for European aid to Laos if something like this is happening," Kallas said. "If you (Laos) contribute to that existential threat, we can't have good cooperation," she warned. Kallas' remarks came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had "frank" talks on the Ukraine war during a meeting on the sidelines of Asean. Rubio said Lavrov had shared new ideas on resolving the conflict, which he promised to present to US President Donald Trump, but played down the prospect of a breakthrough. US tariffs have also overshadowed the Asean gathering. Asked whether she would meet Rubio to discuss Washington's tariff plans for Brussels, Kallas said "we didn't have a chance to interact." "Our trade team is working very hard to come up with the solution and also to have agreements." "But we are not there yet," she said. Kaja Kallas The EU was hoping to strike a trade deal with Washington "in the coming days", a spokesman said on Wednesday. If the EU does not clinch an agreement with the United States, higher tariffs will return and risk unleashing a bitter trade war. The EU expected Trump to keep a 10-per cent baseline tariff on EU goods with exemptions for critical sectors, European diplomats said. Also at the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was Australia's top diplomat Penny Wong, who equally condemned Russia's latest attacks. "We want the conflict resolved on Ukrainian terms, and we want to see Russia reflect on the position it is taking, which is in breach of international law," Wong told a news conference. Following this week's overnight strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged allies to quickly roll out fresh sanctions against Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia said on Friday it would close Poland's consulate in Kaliningrad, a Moscow exclave near Poland and Lithuania, after Warsaw decided to shut the Russian consulate in Krakow. Diplomatic ties between Moscow and Warsaw have been historically strained and frayed further over Russia's offensive in Ukraine, which Poland is supporting politically and with military aid. In May, Poland ordered the Russian consulate in the southern city of Krakow shut after authorities accused Moscow of orchestrating a fire that destroyed a Warsaw shopping centre last year. Poland — a Nato and European Union member — is one of the main countries through which Western nations supply weapons and ammunition to Kyiv. Russia vowed an "adequate response" and on Friday the foreign ministry said it was "withdrawing consent for the functioning of the Consulate General of Poland in Kaliningrad from August 29". It also said Poland's charge d'affaires in Russia was summoned and handed a formal note announcing the move. "This step was caused by the unfounded and hostile actions of the Polish side, expressed in the reduction of the Russian consular presence on the territory of Poland," it added. — AFP
Observer
10 hours ago
- Observer
Stocks mostly fall as Trump ramps up tariff threats
LONDON: Stock markets mostly retreated Friday as US President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war, threatening a higher blanket tariff and a 35-per cent levy on Canada. Trump dampened earlier optimism by firing off more than 20 letters to governments outlining new tariffs if agreements are not reached by August 1. Bitcoin meanwhile pushed on with its climb, reaching an all-time high above $118,000. The dollar was mostly higher against its main rivals, and oil prices gained. "The optimism from earlier in the week... is giving way to fears of an impending tariff surprise as the weekend approaches," said Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. Wall Street's three main indices fell at the start of trading, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite coming off record-setting sessions. In Europe, where investors were awaiting news of Trump's new tariff level targeting the European Union, with a letter expected by the end of the week, the Paris and Frankfurt stock markets each dropped 0.8 per cent. "The fallout hasn't been more pronounced because the market still continues to view all of this as a point of negotiating leverage," said analyst Patrick O'Hare of Trump dialled up his trade war rhetoric on Thursday, warning that Canada faced a 35-per cent tax, while other countries would be handed blanket tariffs of up to 20 per cent, from the current 10 per cent. That came after he outlined plans to impose 50-per cent tariffs on copper imports, while threatening 200-per cent levies on pharmaceuticals, and hit Brazil with a new 50-per cent charge. The moves are the latest by the White House in a campaign it says is aimed at ending decades of the United States being "ripped off". Trump's initial bombshell announcement of tariffs on April 2 sent markets into turmoil until he paused them for three months, and the latest measures have had less impact. London's FTSE 100 and the pound retreated after data showed the UK economy unexpectedly shrank in May -- its second consecutive monthly decline. That followed a mixed session in Asia, where Hong Kong rose, Tokyo fell and Shanghai flattened by the close. Shares in BP jumped 2.4 per cent in London after the energy giant said it expected to report higher oil and gas production for its second quarter. - AFP
Observer
10 hours ago
- Observer
US, China have 'positive' meeting at Asean foreign minister talks
KUALA LUMPUR: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers. Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from trade to Taiwan — and both countries vie for greater influence in the region. "I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting," Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks in the capital Kuala Lumpur, but stressed "it was not a negotiation". "I think we left it feeling as there's some areas we're gonna be able to work together on." Rubio also expressed confidence that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would happen. "There's a strong desire on both sides to do it," Rubio said, adding no date had been set. Beijing in a separate statement said "both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive". Both countries agreed to "enhance communication and dialogue through diplomatic channels... and explore expanding cooperation areas while managing differences," China's foreign ministry said. The sit-down between Wang and Rubio came as Asian foreign ministers wrapped up three days of intensive talks at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meet in Kuala Lumpur. Top diplomats from Russia, the European Union, Britain and Canada also attended. US officials said ahead of Rubio's first trip to the region as secretary of state that Washington was "prioritising" its commitment to East and Southeast Asia. While US tariffs overshadowed the gathering, Rubio said he was "warmly received" by Asian partners as he sought to placate concerns over the duties. "If you look at some of these trade deficits, they're massive. That has to be addressed," Rubio said at the end of his whirlwind trip. "Everybody here is a mature leader who understands that that's not sustainable." Trump has threatened punitive tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 per cent against more than 20 countries, many of them in Asia, if they do not strike deals with Washington by August 1. Asean expressed "concern" over tariffs, which it described as "counterproductive" and a threat to regional growth, according to a Joint Communique released on Friday. Long-time US ally Japan faces a 25-per cent across-the-board levy, separate from similar charges for cars, steel and aluminium that have already been imposed. South Korea faces a similar tariff. Rubio met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts earlier on Friday, with his spokeswoman Tammy Bruce calling it an "indispensable relationship". Wang said on Thursday the US tariff drive "undermines the free trade system". "The United States' imposition of high tariffs on Cambodia and Southeast Asian countries is an attempt to deprive all parties of their legitimate rights to development," Wang said. Tensions between the United States and China have ratcheted up since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that briefly sent duties on each other's exports sky-high. — AFP
