The UK's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to restore the relationship with the EU during a top meeting with a range of European leaders outside Oxford.
The protracted Brexit process strained the bonds between London and the continent. After 14 years of conservative rule, the new Labour government has one of its goals to try to untangle the knots.
Starmer got a golden opportunity to initiate that process during Thursday's meeting outside Oxford, which was held within the framework of the European Political Community, EPC.
We are convinced that a new chapter can now begin in the relationship with the UK, said European Council President Charles Michel when he arrived at the grand Blenheim Palace.
"Unwavering" support for Ukraine
Starmer, on his part, assured that the UK will behave as "a friend and partner, ready to work together with you" to the attending heads of state and government from about 50 European countries. Among the participants were Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, and also NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
On the meeting's agenda were, among other things, Ukraine, migration, and energy security.
Our first task here today is to confirm our unwavering support for Ukraine, said Starmer.
Fears about the USA
The meeting also took place against the backdrop of increased concern about the future of the military alliance NATO if Donald Trump is re-elected as the US President in November.
Several politicians underscored the need for Europe to take its own steps to guarantee its security.
European countries must stand on their own feet more than ever, said the Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
EPC was created as recently as 2022 as a way to regularly gather the continent's leaders, excluding Russia and Belarus, without it necessarily being under the EU's auspices.
Previous top meetings have been held in the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Spain – most recently in Granada last October.
