London, Feb 2 (AP) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to his country estate Sunday on the eve of seeking to improve relations with the European Union.

Starmer hosted Scholz at Chequers, the prime minister's country residence in Buckinghamshire 30 miles (50 kilometres) northwest of London, before the two go to Belgium to meet with EU chiefs Monday, where the UK leader is aiming for a relationship “reset".

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While ruling out rejoining the EU trade bloc five years after Brexit, Starmer said he wants to forge a closer relationship on defence, energy and trade.

“I think that is certainly in the UK's best interest, I do believe it's in the EU's best interest, and already I hope that in the last seven months there's been a manifest difference in approach, tone and relationship,” he said.

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Starmer and Scholz discussed Ukraine and the Middle East, according to a Starmer spokesperson. The prime minister spoke of their common approach to “key issues and challenges,” including their shared commitment to Kyiv as the war with Russia enters its fourth year this month.

The two agreed that Russia's invasion had emphasised the need to beef up and coordinate defence production across Ukraine, according to a readout of the meeting from a Starmer spokesperson.

The UK and Germany signed a defence pact in October, described by officials as the first of its kind between two NATO member countries, to boost European security amid rising Russian aggression.

The British government's strategic defence review later this year will include lessons learned in Ukraine and the need to outmanoeuvre Russian President Vladimir Putin's hostile acts across the continent, Starmer said.

Starmer thanked Scholz for visiting in the middle of a difficult re-election campaign. Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats are lagging in the polls behind the centre-right Christian Democratic Union and the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, with three weeks to go before the February 23 vote.

“When I started as prime minister seven months ago now, I was determined to strengthen the relationship between our two countries — already very good, but I thought it could be stronger on a number of fronts," said Starmer, leader of the centre-left Labour Party. "And thanks to your leadership, I think we've made real progress.”

Scholz said the visit that included a walk around the grounds of the estate and a lunch was a "good sign of the very good relations between our two countries, and indeed between the two of us.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)