The leaders of France and Britain head to Washington to urge Trump not to abandon Ukraine

LONDON – The leaders of France and Britain are making tag-team visits to Washington this week as Europe attempts to persuade President Donald Trump not to abandon Ukraine in pursuit of a peace deal in the three-year-old war with Russia.

There is an element of good cop, bad cop in efforts by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to salvage American support for Kyiv.

Starmer, reluctant to openly confront Trump, speaks of being a bridge between Europe and the U.S. administration. Macron has more strongly criticized Trump’s recent statements that echo Russia’s narrative and American moves to negotiate with Moscow while sidelining Ukraine.

The two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday and said the U.K. and Europe must "show united leadership in support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression," Starmer's office said. Both also stress that Ukraine's voice and sovereignty must be at the center of any peace talks.

The French president warned Trump against appearing “weak in the face of President Putin.”

“It’s not you, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest,” said Macron, who is due at the White House on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Starmer is set to follow on Thursday.

Double-track diplomacy

The trips come after Macron called a crisis meeting of European leaders in Paris last week to discuss the continent’s next steps — and after Trump on Friday claimed Macron and Starmer “haven’t done anything” over the past three years to end the war.

The centrist French leader, known for his bold diplomatic moves, says he’ll seek to persuade Trump that American and European interests are the same, telling him: “If you let Russia take over Ukraine, it would be unstoppable.”

Starmer, a cautious center-left politician, has avoided directly contradicting Trump or criticizing his actions. The U.K. joined the U.S. in refusing to sign a joint declaration at an Artificial Intelligence summit hosted by Macron in Paris this month in what was seen as an attempt to curry favor with Washington.

But the prime minister has reaffirmed Britain’s support for Ukraine, rejecting Trump’s assertion that Zelenskyy is a “dictator” and the president's suggestion that Kyiv started the war, which erupted when Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022.

Starmer spoke to Zelenskyy on Saturday, expressing “the U.K.’s ironclad support for Ukraine and commitment to securing a just and enduring peace.” He said he would stress “safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty” when he speaks to Trump in Washington.

Some historians say the idea that Britain can be a transatlantic bridge is built on shaky foundations.

“The ‘special relationship’ has always been more important from the British end,” said Oxford University history professor Margaret MacMillan. “When it comes right down to it, great powers tend to do what suits them.”

She said the bottom line for Macron and Starmer “is they want the U.S. to stay involved in Europe. Whether they can achieve that is another matter.”

Overcoming U.S. reluctance

Macron and Starmer will say in Washington that Ukraine must be at the table for negotiations on its future. They hope to get U.S. support for an emerging plan to have Europe deploy troops in a “reassurance force” to help guarantee Ukraine’s future security. Starmer has stressed that the plan will only work if there is a U.S. “backstop,” likely in the form of American air power, to deter Russia from attacking again.

Trump may well be skeptical. He has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the U.S. provides security to European countries that don’t pull their weight.

Both Macron and Starmer appear ready to answer Trump’s call to boost defense spending. France spends just over 2% of its gross domestic product on the military, and Macron said last week that Europeans “must increase our war effort.”

Britain spends 2.3% of gross domestic product on defense, and Starmer has said that will rise to 2.5%. He may put a date for reaching that target during his Washington trip.

Jamie Shea, a retired senior NATO official, said Starmer should try to appeal to Trump’s keen sense of his place in history.

“The main argument Starmer can put will be to say, ‘Mr. President this is going to be your peace agreement. You did it and for better or worse you will be associated with it forever. And do you want to risk a failure?’” Shea said.

Talking trade and tariffs

Trade — and an effort to avoid U.S.-imposed tariffs — will also be on the agenda for both Macron and Starmer.

Trump has ordered reciprocal import taxes on America’s trading partners, slapped 10% tariffs on China; effectively raised U.S. taxes on foreign steel and aluminum; and threatened, then delayed for 30 days, 25% taxes on goods from Canada and Mexico.

U.K. officials hope Britain’s departure from the European Union — a move Trump has praised — and relatively balanced trade with the U.S. will help it avoid harsh tariffs.

Starmer also wants to raise U.K. opposition to Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians be deported from Gaza so the U.S. can take over the territory. And he will seek to allay U.S. concerns about a U.K. agreement to cede to Mauritius the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago that’s home to a strategic U.S. military base.

If all else fails, Britain can deploy ceremonial soft power of royalty. The Daily Telegraph reported that Starmer will present Trump with an invitation from King Charles III for a state visit replete with royal pomp and pageantry.

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Corbet reported from Paris.