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Keir Starmer this week became the first UK Prime Minister since Winston Churchill to take part in French Armistice Day services, invited by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Both sides had an interest in communicating friendship and diplomatic business as usual, mere days after a destabilising US election. Macron, with political troubles at home, likely wanted association with a recent election winner, and will have been keen to offer a hand of friendship from one of the EU's key players to a Prime Minister deciding his terms for a reset of relations.

Starmer has been keen to make an outward show of friendship to EU leaders since becoming Prime Minister, even if the details of the reset remain unclear. Both will have wanted to send a clear message that peace in Europe remains a priority; the commemoration of the end of war in Europe taking place in the context of the Russia - Ukraine conflict.

Starmer and Macron discussed "Russia's ongoing barbaric invasion of Ukraine and the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza," Downing Street said. No doubt the US election result, and Donald Trump's unknown plans for continued support for Ukraine, featured heavily.

Trump has repeatedly criticised the level of US support for Ukraine's fight against Russia since the 2022 full-scale invasion and has promised to end the conflict swiftly, albeit without explaining how.

Britain, France and other NATO allies argue it is essential to keep supporting Ukraine against Russia to protect the European continent as a whole.

Europe is not powerless to help Ukraine - collectively the continent has been the biggest provider of aid, allocating €118 billion ($126 billion) since the start of the conflict, while the United States has provided €85 billion, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

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But all are aware that Europe would find it near impossible to replace financial and military aid from the United States, including military resources such as F-16 fighter jets and Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), should Trump pull out.

The result is a continent on edge, as yet unaware of how the returning President plans to follow through on his pledge to end the war 'on day one', and what that would mean for Ukraine, NATO and European security.

Trump has repeatedly called for European nations to put more money into NATO. "Trump has [said] for decades that he thinks America's allies are freeloaders on America's protection," said former NATO official Edward Hunter Christie recently.

In February, Trump said he would "encourage" Russia to launch attacks on any NATO countries he said were falling short of financial commitments to the alliance. The Biden administration denounced the remarks as "appalling and unhinged."

Then-NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said any suggestion that "allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security. I expect that the US will remain a strong and committed NATO ally."

Stoltenberg's successor, Mark Rutte, agrees, arguing that Europe "will have to spend more … It will be much more than the 2%. [Trump] is right, you will not get there with 2%."

France had already used the possibility of a Trump presidency to urge other European countries to boost their military capabilities.

"We cannot let voters in Wisconsin decide European security," said France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad, insisting Europe need to urgently decide how to navigate a world in whic...