UK SECURITY DEAL?
As doubts swirl over the transatlantic relationship, many are keen to step up ties with an old friend: Britain.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be back in the fold – at least for one dinner – as the first UK leader to attend a European Council gathering since the country withdrew from the EU five years ago.
Starmer said he wanted to work with EU leaders to “crush Putin’s war machine” by further targeting Russia’s economy.
The British leader, who has sought to reset relations after the rancour of Brexit, said he wanted to strike a “ambitious” security partnership with the EU.
That could bring Britain, with its potent military and large defence industry, a little closer.
“We can’t be commentators when it comes to matters of peace on our continent,” Starmer said.
But the bitter legacy of Brexit remains.
Numerous EU diplomats said there cannot be progress until a dispute over fishing rights is resolved and London drops its opposition to a youth mobility scheme proposed by Brussels.
