Starmer goes to Washington on first foreign trip as UK PM

AFP :
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer jets off to Washington this week for his first steps on the world stage, just days after taking office following a landslide election victory.
Starmer, 61, will attend NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in the US capital on his debut foreign trip since becoming British leader last Friday. He will reaffirm Britain’s enduring support for the Western military alliance and Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.
The visit kicks off a whirlwind of international diplomacy in Starmer’s first two weeks in power, with the UK also hosting a European leaders’ conference next week.
“It will be an opportunity for him to learn and get to know other leaders as much as to communicate any particular messages,” foreign policy expert James Strong told AFP.
Britain’s previous Conservative government was one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, providing money, weapons and troop training to help it repel Russia’s invasion.
Starmer has pledged continued support for Kyiv under Labour, and is expected to reaffirm that message in person to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO meeting.