UK and EU defy Trump with new strategic partnership to boost trade and security

​The UK and the EU have outlined a “new strategic partnership” aimed at bolstering trade and presenting a united European front in Ukraine in defiance of Donald Trump’s threat to upend decades of transatlantic alignment.
A draft declaration being drawn up by London and Brussels ahead of a UK-EU summit on 19 May points to a “common understanding” on a number of shared interests.
EU ambassadors will meet in Brussels on Wednesday for a briefing from officials who have spent the past few months in a “tunnel” working on the areas where agreement could be reached over the next year.
A defense and security pact that would see closer cooperation on Ukraine is top of the shopping list along with migration, which is a hot topic on both sides of the Channel.

The French are determined to carve out new arrangements on fishing but diplomatic sources say there will be no change for the time being.
the summit comes as the UK continues tariff negotiations with the US in the hope of carving out a special deal. Britain is facing a 10% tariff, while the EU faces 20%.
Ahead of a meeting with the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, last week, the leader of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for a drive to unlock investment for renewables in the North Sea.
“We are friends. And we are Europeans. It means that we share interests and democratic values. And that we are ready to face global challenges as like-minded partners,” von der Leyen said after their meeting.
Downing Street declined to comment on the text but said it was in line with the UK’s objectives.

​Story by Lisa O'Carroll and Jessica Elgot