Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
- author, Paul Adams
- role, BBC News
- Reported by Bydgoszcz, northern Poland
Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s whirlwind first trip since taking office was organised at very short notice and will not produce immediate results or break any bold new ground.
It’s all a matter of perception: the emergence of a new, energised administration, full of goodwill towards some of the UK’s most important partners, and determined to get to work immediately.
Lamy spent the evening with German Foreign Minister Annalena Barbock (they even found time to watch a few minutes of England’s European Championship quarter-final) before moving on to tour the countryside with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
After a few hours of discussions, we boarded the plane again for the short flight north to Sweden, one of NATO’s newest members.
Why Germany, Poland and Sweden?
Ukraine is also to blame. Along with the UK, these three countries are playing a key role in supporting Kiev’s war effort. As the new Defence Secretary, John Healey, takes up his post in Odessa, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government is keen to stress that Britain’s commitment to Ukraine remains firm.
“We want to redouble our commitment to Ukraine,” Lamy said as dragonflies fluttered over a tranquil lake and a pair of majestic eagles circled overhead.
France, in the middle of elections that are sure to have far-reaching consequences, was not on the itinerary – not this weekend either.
There will also be no visit to Brussels, with Sir Keir saying Britain would not rejoin the EU “in my lifetime”.
But Poland and Sweden are both key European partners and NATO members, so it’s a good place for foreign ministers to start exploring the contours of a closer future relationship.
“I want to reset our relationship and our relationship with the European Union,” Lammy said, also referring to Labour’s still rather vague commitment to forge a new security arrangement between the EU and the UK.
He said a “renewed spirit of cooperation will be on display” when European leaders gather at Blenheim Palace on July 18 for the next meeting of the European Political Community – set up by President Emmanuel Macron in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lamy’s concerns: Russia, China, Gaza
The visit comes just days before Sir Keir steps onto the international stage for the first time as Prime Minister at the NATO summit in Washington DC.
It’s a tricky time to strengthen ties, with France shifting to the right and the United States potentially bringing the unpredictable Donald Trump back into office.
Lamy agreed that this was a “tough geopolitical moment” but said it was important not to confuse disagreements between mature democracies with the threat posed by autocratic regimes.
“It worries me to see Iranian drones appearing in Ukraine,” he said.
“It worries me to see North Korean artillery shells being used here on European soil.
“And of course I am concerned about the partnerships that Russia is brokering between these authoritarian states.”
Other issues, including the war in Gaza, also weigh on the new foreign minister’s first visit.
Speaking in Germany on Saturday, Lamy spoke about the need to have a “more balanced approach towards Israel and Gaza.”
It is unclear what he meant, but with ceasefire talks likely to resume, finding a way to end the Gaza war and revive the Arab-Israeli peace process is likely to take up a huge amount of diplomatic time in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Mr Lammy’s well-known English-speaking presenter said Poland’s relatively new government had something in common with the incoming Starmer government.
Sikorski said both were “the product of a nation tired of the nationalist zealots of politics,” a comment that probably only partially reflects the nature of last week’s general election.
Sikorski said he expected Britain to take a “more pragmatic approach” to its relationship with Europe and that the two ministers had discussed “creative ideas to take that further”.
