British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will use his role as host of a European forum on Thursday to press for his desire to reset Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the European Union and to reaffirm support for Ukraine.
Two weeks after winning a large majority in an election and fresh from his first international trip to NATO in Washington as prime minister, Starmer hosts the European Political Community (EPC) of more than 40 nations at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, to build cooperation on border security.
The one-day meeting of a group set up after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 provides Britain's new leader with another opportunity to push for closer defense cooperation, especially before the possible reelection of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggests that Europe must do more to protect its own security.