Emmanuel Macron is ready to tell Sir Keir Starmer that the appearance of the UK indicates the failure of Brexit on Monday on Monday, according to senior diplomats.
The British Prime Minister will be the first British leader to participate in an EU dinner of the Council since the country left the block in 2020-a symbolic step that forms the scene for a broader reset between UK-EU.
Starmer will use his visit to argue for a stronger defense and safety partner, which underlines the role of Great Britain in supporting Ukraine against the aggression of Russia. Behind the scenes, however, EU diplomats describe him as a ‘question question’, which insist on restoring ties at a time when the worldwide ambitions of London are tempered by Brexit complexities and through new challenges arising from the White House under Donald Trump.
Opposite the 27 EU leaders in the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels-where Great Britain half a century ago for the first time his inspiration in the European Economic Community Starmer are trying to achieve an agreement on deeper cooperation of the defense. This includes raising military aid to Ukraine and exploring security guarantees if a potentially ceases -the fires is achieved. Some EU states, in particular Germany and adjacent to Russia, remain careful with new peace initiatives that can distract resources from the eastern flank of NATO.
President Macron, however, would be enthusiastic about forging a closer military alliance with Great Britain, because both countries are nuclear powers that are capable of substantial commitment. French officials have emphasized how few European countries have significant defense opportunities, making bilateral cooperation between Paris and London particularly attractive.
In the background, starmer is confronted with a diplomatic cord. The EU insists that every deal for defense and safety must be part of a broader package for trade, fishing rights and youth mobility. In the meantime, the Prime Minister is under domestic pressure to curb net migration, so that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper excludes a proposed schedule for youth mobility with the EU. That decision can make any attempt to reach a radical new agreement.
Adding volatility is the renewed threat of American rates under Donald Trump, who has already imposed border loads on Canada, Mexico and China, and hinted that the EU could be the next. The risk of a transatlantic trade conflict complicates the efforts of Starmer to deepen the economic ties of the UK-EU. Although most British exports to the US are services instead of goods and not directly affected by rates, British officials are concerned that an escalation of protectionist measures in Washington could make worldwide growth and substantiate a new momentum in Europe.
Macron’s pointed comments about the failure of Brexit underlines European skepticism with regard to the “Global Britain” story of Great Britain. As a senior diplomat said: “The UK is geographical and economically European. Brexit was built for a more stable, more prosperous world, and now that the world is more complicated, the UK is getting closer to Europe. “
Starmer insists that Brexit is “arranged” and wants to reopen the fundamental political debates about membership. Yet he is looking for what civil servants call a “closer relationship” about trade, energy and a broader foreign policy – in particular the precarious state of the British economy. Predictions for GDP growth have been re-relegated by the EY item club, with stagnation expected by the end of the year, and the government is looking for ways to inject new life into its strategy after the Brexit.
Starmer will try to demonstrate the leading role of Great Britain in international safety, so that EU leaders encourage the UK and the US to touch Russia with stricter sanctions -a position that, according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, has visibly rattled. Nevertheless, EU leaders seem to use the intention to use the desire of the UK to improved relationships to win concessions on issues such as fishing, freedom of movement for younger Europeans and REAMS of post-Brexit legislation that have still not been resolved.
For Starmer, the road to a successful reset seems confused in concessions and considerations. While he goes to Brussels, he hopes to convert the robust support of Great Britain for Ukraine into new goodwill for a strategic partnership with Euro-Et, with Macron’s bone assessment that Brexit’s high promises are not a party to current geopolitical reality.