UK's Starmer in Berlin for talks to reset ties with Europe

[August 28, 2024]  By Andrew MacAskill

BERLIN (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss a landmark economic and defense accord with German leaders on Wednesday, hoping to use a two-day visit to the European Union's top powers Germany and France to reset relations with the rest of the bloc.

Starmer said he wanted Britain to move beyond the previous Conservative government's fractious relations with European allies and put improved ties at the heart of his efforts to boost Britain's economic growth.

In Berlin on Tuesday, Starmer visited the landmark Brandenburg Gate, before meeting President Frank-Walter Steinmeier early on Wednesday. Later, he was greeted with military honors by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz outside the chancellery under a bright blue sky.

Starmer will discuss with Scholz, a fellow leftist, a new pact they hope will bring about an unprecedented degree of bilateral military cooperation and greater collaboration in areas such as trade and energy.

The pair will hold a joint press conference at midday.

"We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government," Starmer said in a statement. "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe."

Britain and Germany, NATO allies and western Europe's biggest defense spenders, are looking for ways to increase defense cooperation ahead of a possible scaling back of U.S. military support for Ukraine if former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House early next year.

The Republican presidential candidate has warned that if elected, he would fundamentally rethink "NATO's purpose and NATO's mission". He has also not committed to sending further aid to Ukraine and said he would not defend allies that do not increase their defense budgets. Trump is locked in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election.

Concerns that the U.S. could cut back support for Ukraine have increased since Trump picked JD Vance as his running mate. Vance has stressed his opposition to the U.S. writing "blank checks" to help Ukraine fight off Russia's two-and-a-half-year-old invasion.

Flags of Britain, Germany and the European Union flutter ahead of the arrival of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in Berlin, Germany August 28, 2024. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen

An Anglo-German defense partnership could resemble the Lancaster House pact between Britain and France agreed in 2010, according to officials, with pledges to create a joint force and share equipment and nuclear missile research centers.

The two sides will continue negotiations over the next six months with the aim of completing the deal early next year, according to Starmer's office. It would follow the signing of a joint defense declaration in July.

On his trip to Germany, Starmer will also hold talks with business leaders including Armin Papperger, chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, who according to media reports last month was the target of a Russian assassination plot. The Kremlin said the reports were fake and could not be taken seriously.

He will also meet Christian Bruch, Siemens Energy's CEO, which employs about 6,000 people in Britain, to discuss further investment and creating more highly skilled jobs.

After the talks in Germany, Starmer will head to Paris for the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday night, and hold a breakfast meeting on Thursday with executives from companies including Thales, Eutelsat, Mistral AI and Sanofi.

Starmer is expected to meet Paralympic athletes as they prepare for competition, before having talks with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Sarah Marsh in Berlin; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Bernadette Baum)

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