UK, Netherlands leaders hold talks on security, Ukraine and migration

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten at Downing Street on Tuesday, and the two leaders discussed security, migration and international crises.

A statement released by No. 10 said Starmer “began by setting out how strong the relationship between the UK and The Netherlands was across the board, including on energy security, migration, growth and investment.”

Both leaders agreed the countries remained “long-standing friends and partners.”

Talks also focused on tensions in the Middle East. According to the statement, the leaders “updated on their recent diplomatic meetings, including Starmer’s visit to the Gulf, and Jetten’s meetings in Washington.”

They highlighted the importance of upcoming talks, noting “the summit on the Strait of Hormuz on Friday would be a vital moment to continue to drive diplomatic, military and economic work.”

Both expressed “deep concern at the situation in Lebanon and the need for de-escalation.”

On Ukraine, Starmer thanked his counterpart for continued Dutch support and pointed to what he described as “Ukraine’s momentum on the battlefield.”

The statement added: “Putin was benefitting from the events in the Gulf, and it was vital partners looked at how they could step up pressure on Russia to mitigate that.”

The two leaders also discussed strengthening European defense cooperation and reaffirmed the importance of closer UK-EU ties.

Migration was another key topic, with both sides agreeing on “the importance of tackling illegal migration and stepping up work together on the issue.”