French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (Jul 8) said that Britain’s 2020 departure from the European Union was “deeply regrettable”, adding that the result of its 2016 referendum was respected. He made the remarks during his address in the UK parliament, marking his first visit by an EU head of state since Brexit.
It was “a decision that we respect even if we found it deeply regrettable,” Macron told UK lawmakers during his speech, which covered a range of topics. He added that the two countries must renew their century-old alliance to face down an array of threats.
“As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, deeply committed to multilateralism, the United Kingdom and France must once again show the world that our alliance can make all the difference,” he said. “Clearly, we have to work together… to protect the international order as we fought (for) it after the Second World War.”
Macron talked about a range of issues, from global conflicts to irregular cross-Channel migration during his speech. The French president will be holding several meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer starting Wednesday. After coming to power last year, the British leader has been working to reset relations with European capitals following years of tensions fueled by Brexit.
The French leader insisted that European countries will “never abandon Ukraine” in its war with Russia while demanding an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. Macron and Starmer also hold a meeting of the coalition on Thursday “to discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia”, Starmer’s office confirmed on Monday (Jul 7).
The 30-nation coalition is aimed at how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including the potential deployment of peacekeeping forces. According to the French presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be joining the talks.