Macron accepts invitation for state visit with King Charles in July

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted an invitation for a formal state visit to the United Kingdom to meet with Britain’s King Charles III.

Macron’s office said that the trip, which will also include a summit between the French leader and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will take place from July 8 to 10. Such meetings used to be an annual ritual, but were suspended during the acrimonious Brexit negotiations.

The Elysée Palace said in a statement that the visit “will show the depth of the ties that unite our two countries and our two people.”

With the war raging in Ukraine and European security a concern amid threats from Russia, it’s expected the summit will focus on defense and security, an area where the French and the British have in the past worked together closely.

Ties between France and the United Kingdom have improved since the frosty days of tense Brexit negotiations, which concluded with a deal in 2020. Starmer’s effort to reset relations with the bloc have helped further thaw London’s relationships with both Brussels and Paris.

The visit will also be an opportunity to address some thorny issues that divide the two countries. France has been playing hardball on reset talks between the EU and the U.K. — Paris wants London to commit to extending fishing rights for EU trawlers in British waters beyond a looming deadline next year.