European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron, posed for a family photo on Thursday (July 18) during a summit hosted by Britain's Keir Starmer, Reuters reports.
Starmer will seek to reset Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the European Union and reaffirm support for Ukraine during a gathering of the European Political Community (EPC) that brings together dozens of leaders.
Hosted at Blenheim Palace, the leaders are expected to express renewed support for Kyiv and to discuss energy security, safeguarding democracy and migration. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Britain for inviting him.
The one-day meeting of a group 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 the possible election of Donald Trump who suggests that Europe must do more to protect its own security.
European leaders generally welcomed Starmer's defense cooperation plans, with Charles Michel, chair of the European Council of the EU's national leaders, saying he was "confident that a new chapter could be opened with the UK."
The EPC is distinct from the European Union, which Britain left after a close 2016 vote that many supporters of Starmer's Labour party opposed.
