Starmer, Macron have 20-minute conversation on Ukraine – media source

12.11.2024 10:52

Ukrinform

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron held a private 20-minute conversation on Ukraine during their talks in Paris on Monday. The discussion took place one-on-one, without a wider delegation of aides, underscoring the political sensitivity of the topic.

This was reported by The Telegraph and relayed by Ukrinform.

A UK government spokesperson noted that: “The leaders started by discussing the situation in Ukraine, including how best to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position going into the winter.”

It was also reported that Starmer and Macron explored the possibility of altering the U.S. stance on long-range Storm Shadow missiles. These missiles are jointly produced by the UK and France but can be deployed using American systems.

Currently, Ukraine has permission to use them to strike just over the Russian border but not far beyond it.

Read also: Starmer, Macron want to persuade Biden to allow Ukraine to fire Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia

“I’ve always said that we support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we’re stood by that. I’ve also said that on a number of occasions, we need to put Ukraine in the best possible position,” Starmer told reporters following his meeting with Macron, in response to questions about Storm Shadow.

However, the Prime Minister declined to get into the specifics of any discussions about operational military matters.

As reported by Ukrinform, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated on Monday their determination to support Ukraine for as long as needed to ensure victory in its war against Russia.