WOODSTOCK: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday vowed to rebuild trust with European allies damaged by Brexit as he hosted dozens of leaders at a summit where they reaffirmed backing for Ukraine and pledged to tackle irregular migration.
Starmer, premier for two weeks, told more than 45 European leaders the UK would be a "friend and partner" as he started work to improve ties hit by the country's tortuous departure from the European Union under his Conservative predecessors.
"We want to work with all of you to reset relationships, rediscover our common interest and renew the bonds of trust and friendship that brighten the fabric of European Life," the 61-year-old Labour leader told them as he opened the European Political Community (EPC) meeting.
Europe is grappling with challenges ranging from supporting Kyiv after Russia's full-scale invasion to breaking up people-smuggling gangs contributing to record levels of irregular migration.
In the background hangs the increasing possibility of Donald Trump regaining the White House in November, with fears over his commitment to the Western military alliance Nato.
Trump's newly elected running mate J D Vance is an outspoken critic of military aid to Ukraine and has pushed for negotiations with Russia to end the two-year-plus war. "It's very important to be here, for Ukraine, especially this tough period, for us during the war," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, west of London.
"For us it's very important to maintain unity in Europe because always this unity leads to strong decisions," added Zelensky before discussions with Starmer and a meeting with head of state King Charles III.
While at the summit, the Ukrainian leader signed long-term security cooperation agreements with Czech Republic and Slovenia. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, attending an EPC summit for the first time, reaffirmed the alliance's support for Ukraine.
In a departure from the often fractious relations that characterised the run-up to Brexit, Starmer, who led Labour to a landslide election win over the Tories on July 4, told European counterparts that his government would be "a friend and a partner ready to work with you".
He called irregular migration a "crisis" affecting every country attending. More than 380,000 undocumented migrants crossed the EU's borders last year, and tens of thousands made their way to Britain. - AFP
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