France, UK seeking to deepen ties amid challenges: Macron
LONDON
France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are greeted by Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales upon arrival at RAF Northolt, west of London, on July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday Paris and London are seeking to "deepen" their cooperation to address key global "challenges." as he arrived in Britain on a three-day state visit.
"Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture," Macron said on X, vowing to "deepen our cooperation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way".
During the visit, Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer will try to advance plans for a post-ceasefire security force for Ukraine despite apparent U.S. indifference to the idea and Russia’s refusal to halt the onslaught on its neighbor.
Macron’s three-day visit, at the invitation of King Charles III, is the first state visit to the U.K. by a European Union head of state since Brexit, and a symbol of the British government's desire to reset relations with the bloc that the U.K. left in 2020.
Macron will address both houses of Britain's Parliament before sitting down for talks with Starmer on migration, defense and investment.
At a U.K.-France summit on July 10, senior government officials from the two countries will discuss small-boat crossings, a thorny issue for successive governments on both sides of the channel.
Britain receives fewer asylum-seekers than Mediterranean European countries, but thousands of migrants each year use northern France as a launching point to reach the U.K.
The U.K. has struck a series of deals with France over the years to increase patrols of beaches and share intelligence in an attempt to disrupt the smuggling gangs.
