LONDON (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Britain to stick close to its neighbors despite its exit from the European Union, saying France and the U.K. will “save Europe” by standing for democracy, law and international order in a dangerous world.

King Charles III highlighted the crucial bonds between the United Kingdom and France in the face of a “multitude of more complex threats,” as he welcomed President Emmanuel Macron for the first state visit by a European leader to his country since Brexit.

President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain, which began Tuesday, is heavy on pageantry. But both he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hope for practical results.

Britain and France will join together to use nuclear weapons against any “extreme threats” towards Europe, Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have declared. A newly-signed declaration by the leaders will state that the two countries’ nuclear deterrents are independent but can be co-ordinated in a joint attack on Europe’s enemies.

Our two countries have a special responsibility for the security of the continent,” the French president said in an address to both Houses of Parliament.

In a joint declaration, the UK and France agreed for the first time to coordinate the use of their nuclear deterrents in the face of “extreme threats to Europe”, according to a report

France and Britain on Thursday agreed to reinforce cooperation over their respective nuclear arsenals as the two European powerhouses seek to respond to growing threats to the continent and uncertainty over their U.

Record illegal migrant crossings across the English Channel this year showed Brexit had failed to deliver on a British promise of tighter border controls, said French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that British people had been 'sold a lie.

Each time we depend, each time we are not able to stand up and decide and agree to disagree, this is the beginning of our problem,' French president tells UK Parliament - Anadolu Ajansı

The French president is the first European leader to have a state visit to the UK and address a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament since Brexit

French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Britain turned to politics Wednesday as London is expected to press Paris for new measures to curb undocumented immigration.The number of migrants arriving on England's southern coast via small boats from northern France is a major political issue for Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer.