Despite this, the prime minister and French president agreed in their call: “The UK and Europe must continue stepping up to meet their security needs and show united leadership in support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, which they would both discuss in the US in the coming week,” Downing Street said.
Their call before an important week for both leaders highlights their desire to present a united European position against Russia’s aggression, after the US president launched extraordinary attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dismissing the president of Ukraine as a “dictator without elections”.
The UK prime minister and the French president spoke on Sunday afternoon to reiterate the importance of Ukraine being at the centre of any negotiations to end the war, Downing Street said.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed to show “united leadership in support of Ukraine” when they separately meet Donald Trump this week.
Starmer’s meeting with Trump will come three days after the US president meets Macron, who will be the first European leader to travel to Washington since Trump’s inauguration.
