French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday committed to deepening cooperation with Britain on defence, security, migration, and energy following a meeting with UK Prime

Minister Keir Starmer in Paris.

A British government spokesperson stated that Starmer and Macron "agreed on the importance of further strengthening and broadening the close relationship between the UK and France in the coming months." The two leaders emphasized working closely together to dismantle migrant smuggling networks and enhance intelligence-sharing.

Starmer's visit to Paris, which followed his attendance at the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday, came after a trip to Germany. There, he and Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to pursue a treaty covering issues such as defence and trade.

This tour of the EU's key powers, Germany and France, reflects Starmer's commitment, made after his July 4 election victory, to improve Britain's relations with European allies following years of post-Brexit tensions and to stimulate economic growth.

In addition to bilateral relations, Macron and Starmer discussed the urgent need to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, reiterating their joint call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

They also reaffirmed the importance of continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion, highlighting the need to ensure the defence and security of Kyiv and the broader European continent.

This meeting follows earlier encounters between the two leaders at the NATO summit in July and the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace in England, as well as a phone conversation on August 9. Photo by Number 10, Wikimedia commons.