France and Britain will support Ukraine for as long as necessary “to thwart Russia’s war of aggression,” French President Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer have said.

The prime minister celebrated the Armistice at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris on Monday as Macron’s guest and held a meeting with his French counterpart to discuss the Russian invasion and stopping illegal migration in the Channel.

A statement from the Elysee Palace said the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to “unwaveringly support Ukraine.”

Their meeting comes as questions are raised about US President Donald Trump’s support for Ukraine after he said he could end the war “in one day”.

Macron personally invited the prime minister to mark the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between France and Britain, which paved the way for greater diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.

The statement said the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to “unwaveringly support Ukraine for as long as necessary to thwart Russia’s war of aggression.”

A further statement from Downing Street said the pair discussed how Ukraine could enter the winter in “the strongest possible position”.

There were no details on whether the two leaders would support allowing Ukraine to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russian territory.

The main decision maker on London and Paris remains President Biden – who has so far not given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia, for fear of escalation.

Downing Street said “no war has ever been won with one weapon” when asked whether Britain was talking to President Biden about the possible use of the missiles.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “Our position on Storm Shadow has not changed.

“We have always supported that where we discuss our support for Ukraine, we do so in terms of a broader strategy to ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position going forward, especially in winter. war was once won by a single weapon.”

Following Trump’s victory in the presidential election, questions have been raised about what his second term could mean for US support for Ukraine and NATO.

On weekends, reported the Washington Post Trump has already spoken to Vladimir Putin and urged the Russian leader not to escalate the war further.

The Kremlin denied that a phone call had taken place and claimed that the Washington Post article “does not correspond at all to reality.”

Macron thanked Sir Keir for being the first British leader at the Champs-Élysées ceremony since Winston Churchill in 1944.

During the Armistice Day commemorations, Sir Keir also met French Prime Minister Michel Barnier before observing a minute’s silence.

Sir Keir and Macron laid a wreath at Churchill’s statue in Paris and traveled in an open-top car to assess the troops around the Arc de Triomphe.

During their meeting, Sir Keir and Macron also committed to “cooperation on cross-Channel migration, especially in light of human trafficking networks,” according to a statement.

The pair discussed European security and “the prospects for the relationship” between the EU and Britain, in addition to discussions on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

“Finally, the two leaders reiterated their desire to deepen bilateral ties, especially in the areas of security and defense,” the statement said.

Earlier, British Defense Secretary John Healey said that if reports about the call were correct, “President Trump is exactly right to warn Putin about escalation in Ukraine.”

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said he expected the United States to remain “steadfast” in its support for Ukraine because of the strength of “bipartisan support” in the country.

“We have increased our support to Ukraine, we have accelerated aid delivery and we are now spending more on Ukraine and supporting Ukraine than ever before,” he added.

Britain and France have said that supporting Ukraine against Russia is essential when it comes to protecting the European continent as a whole.

Trump has previously told NATO members to increase defense spending, saying he would let aggressors like Russia do “whatever it wants” to those who don’t.

Bryan Lanza, who worked on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, told the BBC that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a ‘realistic vision of peace’which would not mean an end to the Russian annexation of Crimea.

However, a spokesperson for Donald Trump distanced him from the comments, saying Lanza “does not speak for him.”

The ceasefire between Starmer and Macron comes as fighting between Ukraine and Russia intensifies.

Changes at the weekend saw the largest drone strikes by both sides against each other since the start of the war, and the Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including some approaching Moscow.

On Sunday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Darren Jones told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program that the government wanted to increase defense spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of national income.

However, he did not say when the target would be achieved or whether it would be achieved at the latest before the next elections, which could take place in 2029.