What the UK general election might mean for the Middle East 

Special Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, soaked in rain, stands at a lecturn as he delivers a speech to announce July 4 as the date of the UK’s general election. (File/AFP)
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, soaked in rain, stands at a lecturn as he delivers a speech to announce July 4 as the date of the UK’s general election. (File/AFP)
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Updated 03 July 2024
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What the UK general election might mean for the Middle East 

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak attend a live TV debate.
  • Perceived inaction on Gaza has hung over the election contest between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer
  • If the polls prove correct and Labour sweeps to power, analysts predict a far closer UK-Gulf relationship

LONDON: It was clear from the moment that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood outside 10 Downing Street on May 22 and announced that he was calling a snap general election that the next six weeks would not go well for his ruling Conservative party.

For many, the raincloud that burst over Sunak’s head as he spoke seemed to sum up the past 14 years, which, riven by factional infighting, saw no fewer than four leaders in the eight years since Theresa May succeeded David Cameron in 2016.

Adding to the comedy of the moment was the soundtrack to the announcement, courtesy of a protester at the gates of Downing Street, whose sound system was blasting out the ’90s pop hit “Things Can Only Get Better” — the theme tune of Labour’s 1997 election victory.




Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech at a Conservative Party campaign event at the National Army Museum in London. (File/AP)

Headline writers were spoiled for choice. Contenders included “Drown and out,” “Drowning Street” and — probably the winner — “Things can only get wetter.” That last one was also prescient. 

In theory, under the rules governing general elections, Sunak need not have gone to the country until December. The reality, however, was that both Sunak and his party were already trailing badly in the polls and the consensus at Conservative HQ was that things could only get worse.

As if to prove the point, in one early Conservative campaign video, the British Union Flag was flown upside down. A series of mishaps and scandals followed, with some Conservative MPs found to have been betting against themselves and the party.




Former British PM Boris Johnson gestures as he endorses British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a campaign event in London, Britain, July 2, 2024. (Reuters)

Judging by the steady slide in support for the government, the electorate has neither forgotten nor forgiven the chaos of the Boris Johnson years, typified by the illegal drinks parties held in Downing Street while the rest of the nation was locked down during COVID-19 restrictions.

Nor has the electorate forgotten the failure to deliver on the great promises of Brexit, the shock to the UK economy delivered by the 44-day premiership of Liz Truss, and the inability of the government to control the UK’s borders — which was, after all, the chief reason for leaving the EU.

On the day the election was announced, a seven-day average of polls showed Labour had twice as much support as the Conservatives — 45 percent to 23 percent.

Compounding the government’s woes was the rise of Reform UK, the populist right-wing party making gains thanks largely to the failure of Sunak’s pledge to reduce immigration and “stop the boats” carrying illegal migrants across the English Channel.

On 11 percent, Reform had overtaken the Lib Dems, Britain’s traditional third-placed party, and the vast majority of the votes it seemed certain to hoover up would be those of disenchanted Conservative voters.

By the eve of today’s election, a poll of 18 polls carried out in the seven days to July 2 showed Labour’s lead had eased only very slightly, to 40 percent against the Conservatives’ 21 percent, with Reform up to 16 percent.




Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak attend a live TV debate, hosted by the BBC. (File/AFP)

On Wednesday, a final YouGov poll on the eve of voting predicted that Labour would win 431 seats, while the Conservatives would return to the new parliament on July 9 with only 102 MPs — less than a third of the 365 seats they won in 2019.

If this proves to be the case, Starmer would have a majority of 212, not only bigger than Tony Blair’s in 1997, but also the strongest performance in an election by any party since 1832.

After the polls close tonight at 10pm, there is a very good chance that Sunak may even lose his own seat, the constituency of Richmond and Northallerton, which the Conservatives have held for 114 years.

Either way, the Conservative party will be thrust into further turmoil as the battle begins to select the party’s next leader who, as many commentators are predicting, can look forward to at least a decade in opposition.




Reform UK leader Nigel Farage scratches his head as he delivers a speech during the “Rally for Reform” at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. (File/AFP)

The return of Labour, a completely regenerated party after 14 years in the wilderness, is likely to be good news for Britain’s relationships in the Middle East, as Arab News columnist Muddassar Ahmed predicted this week.

Distracted by one domestic or internal crisis after another, the Conservatives have not only neglected their friends and allies in the region but, in an attempt to stem the loss of its supporters to Reform UK, have also pandered to racial and religious prejudices.

“The horrific scenes unfolding in Gaza, for example, have rocked Muslims worldwide while pitting different faith communities against one another,” Ahmed wrote.




A Palestinian boy who suffers from malnutrition receives care at the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on July 2, 2024. (AFP)

“But instead of working to rebuild the relationships between British Muslims, Jews and Christians, the Conservative government has branded efforts to support Palestinians as little more than insurgent ‘hate marches’ — using the horrific conflict to wedge communities that ought to be allied.”

On the other hand, Labour appears determined to reinvigorate the country’s relationship with a region once central to the UK’s interests.

January this year saw the launch of the Labour Middle East Council (LMEC), founded with “the fundamental goal of cultivating understanding and fostering enduring relationships between UK parliamentarians and the Middle East and North Africa.”

Chaired by Sir William Patey, a former head of the Middle East Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and an ambassador to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Sudan, and with an advisory board featuring two other former British ambassadors to the region, the LMEC will be a strong voice whispering in the ear of a Labour government that will be very open to what it has to say.




Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks on stage at the launch of the party’s manifesto in Manchester, England, Thursday, June 13, 2024. (AP)

Writing in The House magazine, Sir William predicted “a paradigm shift in British foreign policy is imminent.”

He added: “As a nation with deep-rooted historical connections to the Middle East, the UK has a unique role to play in fostering a stable and prosperous region.”

The role of the LMEC would be “to harness these connections for a positive future. We will work collaboratively to address pressing global issues, from climate change to technological advancement, ensuring that our approach is always one of respect, partnership, and shared progress.”

David Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, has already made several visits to the region since Oct. 7. In April he expressed “serious concerns about a breach in international humanitarian law” over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.




Britain’s main opposition Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy addresses delegates at the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool. (File/AFP)

It was, he added, “important to reaffirm that a life lost is a life lost whether that is a Muslim or a Jew.” In May, Lammy called for the UK to pause arms sales to Israel.

In opposition, Labour has hesitated to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, but this has been a product of its own internal and domestic tensions. Starmer has brought the party back on track after years of accusations by UK Jewish activist groups that under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn it was fundamentally antisemitic.

Whether the charges were true, or whether the party’s staunch support of the Palestinian cause was misrepresented as antisemitism, was a moot point. Starmer knew that, in the run-up to a general election, this was hard-won ground that he could not afford to lose.

Nevertheless, even as he has alienated some Muslim communities in the UK for his failure to call for a ceasefire, he has spoken out repeatedly against the horrors that have unfolded in Gaza.




A protester looks on in Parliament Square, central London, on June 8, 2024 at the end of the “National March for Gaza”. (File/AFP) 

Crucially, he has consistently backed the two-state solution, and the creation of “a viable Palestinian state where the Palestinian people and their children enjoy the freedoms and opportunities that we all take for granted.”

In broader terms, Lammy has also made clear that Labour intends to re-engage with the Middle East through a new policy of what he called “progressive realism.”

Less than a week before Sunak called his surprise general election, Lammy spoke of the need for the UK to mend relations with the Gulf states, which he saw as “hugely important for security in the Middle East” and “important in relation to our economic growth missions.”

Because of missteps by the Conservative government, he added, relations between the UAE and the UK, for example, were at “an all-time low. That is not acceptable and not in the UK’s national interests (and) we will seek to repair that.”

In an article he wrote for Foreign Affairs magazine, Lammy went further.

China, he said, was not the world’s only rising power, and “a broadening group of states — including Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — have claimed seats at the table. They and others have the power to shape their regional environments, and they ignore the EU, the UK, and the US ever more frequently.”

Lammy expressed regret for “the chaotic Western military interventions during the first decades of this century,” in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, which had proved to be a “recipe for disorder.”

As shadow foreign secretary, he has traveled extensively across the MENA region, to countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the UAE, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

All, he wrote, “will be vital partners for the UK in this decade, not least as the country seeks to reconstruct Gaza and — as soon as possible — realize a two-state solution.”

For many regional observers, Labour is starting with a clean sheet, but has much to prove.

“It is an acknowledged fact among scholars that foreign policies don’t radically change after elections,” Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, professor in global thought and comparative philosophies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, told Arab News.

“Therefore, I don’t expect major shifts once Labour forms the government in the UK.

“That said, the composition of the Labour party and its ‘backbench’ politics are likely to shift the language and probably even the code of conduct, in particular with reference to the question of Palestine. For a Labour leader it may be that much more difficult to be agnostic about the horrific human rights situation in Gaza.”




Displaced Palestinians flee after the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of Khan Yunis and Rafah on July 2, 2024. (AFP)

For political analysts advising international clients, however, the implications of a Labour victory extend beyond the situation in Gaza.

“In an attempt to secure political longevity, the party will renegotiate key policy priorities in the Middle East,” said Kasturi Mishra, a political consultant at Hardcastle, a global advisory firm that has been closely following the foreign policy implications of the UK election for its clients in business and international politics.

“This could include calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, ending arms sales to Israel, reviving trade and diplomacy with the Gulf states and increasing the UK’s defense spending in the region,” Mishra told Arab News.

“This renegotiation is important at a time when the UK finds itself increasingly uncertain of its global position.




Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Shadow Foreign Secretary of the British Labor Party David Lammy on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue 2023 held in Bahrain. (SPA)

“The Middle East has significant geopolitical and security implications for the West. Labour policy-makers recognize this and are likely to deepen British engagement with the region to reshape its soft power and influence.”

Mishra highlighted Lammy’s multiple trips to the region as a foretaste of a Labour’s intention to strengthen ties with the Gulf states, “which have been neglected in post-Brexit Britain. 

“Given the influential role of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar in regional security and the potential to collaborate with them on climate mitigation and other international issues, it is clear that he will seek to forge partnerships.

“His doctrine of progressive realism combines a values-based world order with pragmatism. It is expected that he will favor personalized diplomacy, more akin to that of the UAE, India and France.”

 


Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider

Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider
Updated 5 sec ago
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Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider

Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider
  • The AP says it is adhering to the “Gulf of Mexico” terminology because its audience is global and the waters are not only in US territory, but it is acknowledging Trump’s rechristening as well

WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Monday refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not demonstrated it had suffered any irreparable harm. But he urged the Trump administration to reconsider its two-week-old ban, saying that case law “is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.”
US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden’s decision was only for the moment, however. He told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling.
McFadden peppered both sides with questions during arguments over a lawsuit the AP filed Friday saying that its First Amendment rights were being violated by the ban, which began gradually two weeks ago. President Donald Trump said it was punishment for the agency’s decision not to entirely follow his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
McFadden, discussing the composition of the “press pool” that is chosen by the White House Correspondents’ Association, questioned why the government was obligated to follow those choices. “It feels a little odd that the White House is somehow bound by the decisions this private organization is making,” the judge told AP attorneys.
He also questioned AP’s noting of its longtime membership in the White House press pool. “Is this administration somehow bound by what happened with President McKinley?” the judge asked. But he noted that the correspondents’ group had been tasked by the White House to choose the members of its pool.
“The White House has accepted the correspondents’ association to be the referee here, and has just discriminated against one organization. That does seem problematic,” McFadden said in an exchange with government attorney Brian Hudak.
Later, McFadden warned the government’s attorney to reconsider its position, saying “case law in this circuit is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.”
The AP says it is adhering to the “Gulf of Mexico” terminology because its audience is global and the waters are not only in US territory, but it is acknowledging Trump’s rechristening as well.
AP says the issue strikes at the very core of the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which bars the government from punishing speech. The White House says access to the president is a privilege, not a right.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration began barring the AP from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other areas that have been open to the agency for a century as part of the White House press pool. The dispute stems from AP’s refusal to change its style in referring to the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump decreed the “Gulf of America” via an executive order.
The AP named three Trump officials – White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and press secretary Karoline Leavitt – as defendants. The agency, a nonprofit news outlet in operation since 1846, called the White House’s move a “targeted attack” of the sort barred by the First Amendment.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in its lawsuit.
The White House says its move to restrict AP is not an infringement of free-speech rights. “The only person who has the absolute right to occupy those spaces is the president of the United States,” Wiles wrote to Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, in an email included in the agency’s lawsuit. “For the rest of us, it’s a privilege, and to suggest otherwise is wrong.”

 


Algerian TikTok influencer convicted in France for inciting terrorism

This photograph shows a police car in Paris, on March 29, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph shows a police car in Paris, on March 29, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 13 min 2 sec ago
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Algerian TikTok influencer convicted in France for inciting terrorism

This photograph shows a police car in Paris, on March 29, 2024. (AFP)
  • TikTok has said it banned the account from which the video was uploaded, for posting several videos that broke its rules on hate speech

BREST, France: A French court on Monday found an Algerian online influencer guilty of inciting terrorism on TikTok, sentencing him to 18 months in jail.
The 25-year-old man, identified by officials as Youcef A. and known on social media as Zazou Youssef, had been charged in the western city of Brest with “advocating an act of terrorism” on the platform.
Prosecutor Camille Miansoni had recommended a prison sentence of two years for the charge that is punishable by up to seven years.
Youssef appeared in a video posted on the popular platform on December 31 calling for attacks in France and violence in Algeria.
The police prefect in France’s western Finistere region, Alain Espinasse, ordered a judicial investigation after officers made him aware of the video.
According to authorities, Youssef had been living in France on a temporary residency permit and had appealed against a previous sentence for vandalism during riots in 2023.
In addition to the jail term, the court said Youssef could not reside in France for 10 years.
TikTok has said it banned the account from which the video was uploaded, for posting several videos that broke its rules on hate speech.
 

 


Western leaders visit Kyiv and pledge military support against Russia on war’s 3rd anniversary

Western leaders visit Kyiv and pledge military support against Russia on war’s 3rd anniversary
Updated 25 February 2025
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Western leaders visit Kyiv and pledge military support against Russia on war’s 3rd anniversary

Western leaders visit Kyiv and pledge military support against Russia on war’s 3rd anniversary
  • Three-year milestone drew more than a dozen Western leaders to Kyiv for commemorative events in a conspicuous show of support
  • Putin’s troops are making steady progress on the battlefield while Ukraine is grappling with shortages of troops and weapons

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukraine on Monday marked the bleakest anniversary yet of its war against the Russia invasion, with the country’s forces under severe pressure on the battlefield and US President Donald Trump’s administration apparently embracing the Kremlin in a reversal of US policy.
The three-year milestone drew more than a dozen Western leaders to Kyiv for commemorative events in a conspicuous show of support. They warned of the war’s wider implications for global security and vowed to keep providing billions of dollars in support for Ukraine as uncertainty deepens over the US commitment to help. Washington did not send any senior official to the occasion.
The fourth year of fighting could be pivotal as Trump uses his return to office to press for a peace deal.
“The autocrats around the world are watching very carefully whether there’s any impunity if you violate international borders or invade your neighbor, or if there is true deterrence,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed that sentiment. Canadians, he said, “believe deeply that it’s not just about Ukraine. It’s about the rules and the values and the principles of sovereignty, of independence, territorial integrity that protects every country in the world. All of us rely on those rules to be able to build peace and security.”
Some observers say Russian success in Ukraine could embolden China’s ambitions. Just as Moscow claims that Ukraine is rightfully Russian territory, China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own. North Korea and Iran have also aided Russia’s war effort.
In a cascade of unwelcome developments for Kyiv, Trump has in recent days called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator, suggested Ukraine is to blame for the war and ended Russian President Vladimir Putin’s three-year diplomatic isolation by the United States. US officials have also indicated to Ukraine that its hopes of joining NATO are unlikely to be realized and that it probably won’t get back the land that Russia’s army occupies, which amounts to nearly 20 percent of the country.
Meanwhile, Putin’s troops are making steady progress on the battlefield while Ukraine is grappling with shortages of troops and weapons.
The guests in Kyiv and the leaders appearing by video had similar messages: Ukraine and its European partners must be consulted in any peace negotiations, Putin’s ambitions must be thwarted, and Europe must take on more of the burden for its own defense.

The shift in Washington’s policy has set off alarm bells in Europe, where governments fear being sidelined by the US in efforts to secure a peace deal. They are mulling how they might pick up the slack of any cut in US aid for Ukraine. The changes have also placed strain on transatlantic relations.
European Council President Antonio Costa on Sunday announced that he would convene an emergency summit of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on March 6, with Ukraine at the top of the agenda.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are both visiting Washington this week.
EU foreign ministers on Monday approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia. The measures target Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ships that it uses to skirt restrictions on transporting oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU said 74 vessels were added to its shadow fleet list.
Asset freezes and travel bans were imposed on 83 officials and “entities” — usually government agencies, banks or companies.
Britain, too, imposed new sanctions, targeting 107 businesses and individuals in what it says is its biggest package targeting Russia’s war machine since the early days of the conflict in 2022.
The measures take aim at Russia’s military supply chains, including companies in several countries — notably China — that Britain says are supplying machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his country would provide a 1 billion-euro ($1.04 billion) military systems package to Ukraine this year.
Starmer said Ukrainians’ voices “must be at the heart of the drive for peace,” while Trump’s intervention had “changed the global conversation” and “created an opportunity.”
“Russia does not hold all the cards in this war,” he said.
Coming off a victory in Sunday’s German elections, conservative leader Friedrich Merz — also a staunch backer of Ukraine — posted on X Monday: “More than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength.”
“For a fair peace, the country that is under attack must be part of peace negotiations,” he wrote.
Diplomacy ramps up after record Russian drone attack
On Sunday, Russia launched its biggest single drone attack of the war, pounding Ukraine with 267 drones.
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, insisted that the US cannot seal any peace deal to end the war without Ukraine or Europe being involved. She highlighted what she claimed were pro-Russian positions being taken up by the Trump administration.
“You can discuss whatever you want with Putin. But if it comes to Europe or Ukraine, then Ukraine and Europe also have to agree to this deal,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels, where she was leading a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Kallas is scheduled to travel to Washington on Tuesday for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the third anniversary was “a grim milestone.”
“More than 12,600 civilians killed, with many more injured. Entire communities reduced to rubble. Hospitals and schools destroyed,” he said in Geneva.
In a win for Ukraine, the United States on Monday failed to get the UN General Assembly to approve its resolution seeking to end the war without mentioning Russian aggression. The US draft resolution was amended by the assembly to add language making clear that Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in violation of the UN Charter.

In other developments, Trump said Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war.
“Yeah, he will accept it,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he’s not looking for more war.”
Putin has previously said that European or US forces in Ukraine would be a major security issue for Russia. He has never publicly indicated that he would accept Western troops in Ukraine, and multiple Russian officials have indicated that would be a red line for Moscow.
Russia’s foreign ministry said Saturday that preparations for a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin were underway, and US officials have said that they agreed with Moscow to reestablish diplomatic ties and restart economic cooperation.
At a virtual meeting with leaders of the Group of Seven economies also held Monday, Zelensky said Ukraine and the US are “working productively” on an economic agreement that would help lock them together. Trump attended the meeting.
“And, President Trump, we would really like to hear from you because all our people, all our families, are very worried. Will there be support from America? Will America be the leader of the free world?” Zelensky said.


EU and Israel resume dialogue with focus on Gaza’s future

EU and Israel resume dialogue with focus on Gaza’s future
Updated 24 February 2025
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EU and Israel resume dialogue with focus on Gaza’s future

EU and Israel resume dialogue with focus on Gaza’s future
  • Saar will co-chair a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in the first such session since 2022

BRUSSELS: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called for a constructive dialogue but braced for criticism from some European countries as he arrived for talks on Monday in Brussels.

The Israeli minister is meeting senior European officials, reviving a dialogue with the EU as the bloc considers a role in the reconstruction of Gaza following last month’s fragile ceasefire deal.

“I’m looking for a constructive dialogue, an open and honest one, and I believe that this is what it will be,” Saar told reporters on arrival.

“We know how to face criticism,” he said, adding: “It’s okay as long as the criticism is not connected to delegitimization, demonization, or double standards ... but we are ready to discuss everything with an open mind.”

Saar will co-chair a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in the first such session since 2022. 

Talks focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and changing regional dynamics.

The Israeli foreign minister said that within the EU, “there are very friendly countries, and there are less friendly countries,” but Monday’s meeting showed a willingness to renew normal relations.

The attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s response exposed sharp divisions within the EU. 

While all members condemned the Hamas attacks, some staunchly defended Israel’s war in Gaza and others condemned Israel’s military campaign and its toll on civilians.

In February 2024, the leaders of Spain and Ireland sent a letter to the European Commission asking for a review of whether Israel was complying with its human rights obligations under the 2000 EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides the basis for political and economic cooperation between the two sides.

But ahead of Monday’s meeting, the bloc’s 27 member countries negotiated a compromise position that praises areas of cooperation with Israel while also raising concerns.

At the meeting, the EU will emphasize both Europe’s commitment to Israel’s security and its view that “displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza,” according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

The Israeli offensive has killed at least 48,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say, leaving some hundreds of thousands of people in makeshift shelters and dependent on aid trucks.


Macron, Trump vow to work together on Ukraine, despite differences

Macron, Trump vow to work together on Ukraine, despite differences
Updated 24 February 2025
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Macron, Trump vow to work together on Ukraine, despite differences

Macron, Trump vow to work together on Ukraine, despite differences
  • Emmanuel Macron is representing the European Union as a whole during his visit
  • French leader aims to persuade Trump to continue some US support for Ukraine

WASHINGTON: French President Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump sought to smooth over a transatlantic rift on Ukraine Monday, with the US president eyeing a deal to end Russia’s invasion “within weeks” backed by European peacekeepers.
Hosting Macron at the White House on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Trump also said he expected Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to visit this week or next, to sign a deal giving Washington access to Kyiv’s minerals.
Trump hailed Macron as a “very special man” as they shared one of their trademark macho handshakes in the Oval Office — with the French president seeking to use his ties with Trump to shore up support for Ukraine.
“I think we could end it within weeks — if we’re smart. If we’re not smart, it will keep going,” Trump said.
The US president added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to “accept” European troops deployed in Ukraine as guarantors of a deal to end fighting.
Macron said that both leaders wanted a “solid long lasting peace,” proclaimed that Europe was ready to “step up” defense spending and reiterated that Europe was ready to deploy peacekeepers.
But he said he wanted “strong” US involvement in any such plan.
Both Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who is visiting the White House on Thursday — have said their countries are ready to contribute peacekeeping troops in Ukraine if there is a deal.

The friendly tone of the Oval Office meeting came despite many European nations fearing that Trump’s recent embrace of Russian talking points on Ukraine could herald the end of the 80-year-old transatlantic alliance.
Trump sent shock waves around the world when he declared his readiness to resume diplomacy with Russia and to hold talks about the future of Ukraine without the involvement of European allies or Kyiv.
It sent European leaders beating a path to Trump’s door, led by Macron. The two leaders earlier Monday dialed in together from the Oval Office to a call with the heads of the G7 leading economies and Zelensky.
The French president last week said he would tell the Republican: “You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.”
Trump had hit back last Friday saying that both Macron and Starmer — the leaders of Europe’s two nuclear powers — had done “nothing” to try to end the Ukraine war over the past three years.
In recent days Macron has tried to coordinate a European response to Washington’s sudden policy shift.
At their meeting, the French leader would present his “proposals for action” to counter the “Russian threat,” an adviser to the president said. They will also hold a joint press conference.
Macron is representing the European Union as a whole during his visit, after meeting leaders across the continent, including Moscow-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the presidential adviser said.
The French leader aims to persuade Trump to continue some US support for Ukraine, respecting its sovereignty.

Macron and Starmer, who will visit Trump on Thursday, coordinated on messaging prior to the French president’s departure for the United States this weekend.
Britain and France have also discussed the deployment of European forces in Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached to deter Russia from future attacks.
“The idea is to deploy soldiers to a second line, not on the front line. This could be combined with a multinational operation, with non-European contingents,” said a French source close to the discussions.
Macron and Starmer are expected to ask Trump to provide “solid security guarantees” for the deployed forces, and possibly logistics or intelligence.
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told reporters on Monday that “we expect to talk quite a bit about the security guarantees that Macron has put on the table.”
Trump and Macron would also discuss the thorny issue of trade with the European Union, with the US president threatening sweeping tariffs against the bloc, said Waltz.