French president and UK prime minister are due to meet Donald Trump next week

French president Emmanuel Macron and UK prime minister Keir Starmer will lead Europe’s charm offensive next week as they both travel to the US to meet with president Donald Trump in an increasingly desperate bid to change his mind on Ukraine and European security.

Macron outlined parts of his strategy on Thursday night. During a Q&A session on social media that he would tell Trump not to be “weak” on Russian president Vladimir Putin, warning about the consequences that would have in relation to other powers around the world, like China. “That’s not who you are, it’s not your trademark,” he said he would argue. Let’s see if this works.