Emmanuel Macron awarded the Legion of Honor, the most prestigious French decoration, to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has resigned and will be replaced on July 20 at Downing Street by Andy Burnham.
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The French president presented him with this decoration on Monday, while Keir Starmer was in Paris for a summit of the Coalition of Volunteers bringing together countries supporting Ukraine, and to attend the traditional July 14 military parade on Tuesday morning, the Élysée said.
The British Prime Minister was decorated with the rank of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, said the French presidency.
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer are at the origin of this Coalition of the Willing which provides diplomatic and military support to Ukraine.
It was in London on March 2, 2025 that the first meeting of the coalition was held, with around fifteen countries. This involved preparing security guarantees that could be provided to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
Monday in Paris, the summit organized by Emmanuel Macron brought together 37 countries around President Volodymyr Zelensky who indicated their desire to support Kyiv “faster and stronger” to put “pressure” on Russia and push it to the negotiating table.
They notably announced that the multinational force intended to deploy in Ukraine once the weapons have fallen silent would begin training in “neighboring countries” in the “coming months”.
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, who came to power in July 2024, have had a close relationship on international issues, whether Ukraine or the more recent crisis in the Middle East. The two countries also took a joint initiative to contribute to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Keir Starmer resigned on June 22 after months of pressure from his own camp. He will leave the post of leader of the Labor Party and that of Prime Minister to Andy Burnham, a popular figure in the north of England.
![[EN IMAGES] July 14 parade: a record edition in the streets of Paris](https://m1.quebecormedia.com/emp/emp/1522af70-7f72-11f1-afd1-352b66650963_ORIGINAL.jpg?impolicy=crop-resize&x=0&y=139&w=7728&h=4351&width=1200 "[EN IMAGES] July 14 parade: a record edition in the streets of Paris")