Keir Starmer's Diplomatic Push: Setting a New Course for the UK-EU Relationship

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will use his role as host of a European forum on Thursday to press his desire to reset Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the European Union and to reaffirm support for Ukraine.

Two weeks after winning a substantial majority in an election and following his first international trip to NATO in Washington as prime minister, Starmer will host the European Political Community (EPC) of more than 40 nations at Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill's birthplace, to build cooperation on border security. This one-day meeting, set up after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, provides Britain's new leader another opportunity to push for closer defense cooperation, especially before a possible election of Donald Trump, who suggests that Europe must do more to protect its own security.

"We cannot let the challenges of the recent past define our relationships of the future. That is why European security will be at the forefront of this government's foreign and defense priorities, and why I am focused on seizing this moment to renew our relationship with Europe," Starmer said in a statement. The EPC will initiate this new governmental approach towards Europe, benefiting future generations.

(With inputs from agencies.)