Ignored by Trump and menaced by Putin, the UK turns to the EU for defensive ties

As Trump seeks to withdraw the US from European defence, Keir Starmer is trying to develop closer ties with the UK's neighbours

Donald Trump's isolationism and Vladimir Putin's menace leaves post-Brexit Britain in a delicate position. While the combination of US disengagement from Europe and the reality of Russian aggression has forced a reappraisal of security across the continent, Britain's half-in, half-out status makes for complications.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, wanted to showcase Britain's credentials as a European military leader on Thursday, first with a visit to the Barrow shipyard where nuclear submarines are built and then to look into a meeting of 30-plus military heads, mostly from Europe, as they discuss how to create a post-war stabilisation force for Ukraine.