Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday to discuss European security and the impact of a second Trump election.
Macron and Starmer are expected to discuss Russia’s ongoing invasion and the humanitarian situation in Gaza before attending a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Downing Street said.
Their meeting comes amid questions about support for Ukraine after US President-elect Donald Trump said he could end the war with Russia “at some point”.
Trade issues are also expected to be on the agenda as President Trump announced that he would impose a 20% tariff on imports into the United States.
Some economists have warned about the global impact such tariffs would have. Potential £22bn hit to UK exports.
Sir Keir, who is believed to be the first British leader to attend a ceremony on the Champs Elysees since Winston Churchill in 1944, is also scheduled to meet French Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Trump’s victory in the US presidential election has raised questions about what his second term could mean for US support for Ukraine and NATO.
During the weekend, The Washington Post reported President Trump has already urged President Vladimir Putin not to further escalate the war.
British Defense Secretary John Healey said, “If the phone call is true, President Trump was right to warn President Putin about the escalation of the Ukraine situation.”
He told BBC Breakfast that he expected the United States to “remain steadfast” in its support for Ukraine because of the country’s “strong bipartisan support.”
“We have strengthened our support for Ukraine, increased the pace of aid delivery, and are now spending more money in Ukraine and supporting Ukraine than ever before,” he added.
Britain and France have said supporting Ukraine against Russia is essential to protecting the entire European continent.
President Trump previously ordered NATO members to increase defense spending and said he would allow aggressors like Russia to “do whatever they want” with countries that do not.
Donald Trump refused to specify during his campaign how he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day, but there could be an agreement on both sides to do so.
Brian Lanza, who worked on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, told the BBC that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “A realistic vision for peace”This does not include ending Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
However, a spokesman for Donald Trump distanced himself from Mr Brian’s comments, saying they “do not speak for him”.
Starmer and Macron’s ceasefire day meeting comes as fighting between the two sides intensifies.
Exchange it on the weekend The Russian Defense Ministry said the two sides had witnessed the largest drone attack against each other since the start of the war, intercepting 84 Ukrainian drones in six locations, including some approaching Moscow.
On Sunday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Darren Jones told BBC One’s Laura Kuenssberg program that the government: We wanted to increase defense spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of national income.
But he did not say when the target would be achieved, or before the next election, which could be held in 2029 at the latest.
Sir Keir joined other political leaders and members of the royal family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, at the annual national commemoration event at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday.
king charles He led the people in two minutes of silence. These are people who lost their lives in two world wars and other conflicts.
As with Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day will also feature a two-minute silence at 11:00 GMT.
At 11 o’clock on November 11, 1918, it commemorates the moment when World War I ended.
