On Monday 4 May, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, discussed the United Kingdom’s request to participate in the European Union’s €90 billion loan to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027 (see EUROPE 13855/2).
UK participation in the EU loan would be “a major step forward in the EU/UK defence industrial relationship”, the two leaders said in a joint statement issued after a meeting held on the margins of the European Political Community Summit in Yerevan (see other news).
According to Balazs Ujvari, spokesman for the European Commission, in order to translate this “clear political signal” into concrete commitments, the following “three conditions” must be met: - the EU and the UK need to have signed a strategic defence partnership which was done in May 2025 (see EUROPE 13643/1); - the UK must “provide a significant military support to Ukraine”, that the Commission will assess; - the UK has to commit to providing a “fair and proportionate financial contribution” each year, based on the value of the arms contracts from which UK industry has benefited under the EU loan.
“We are beginning negotiations with the EU to ensure Ukraine gets the equipment it needs to defend its freedom, while driving opportunities for British industry to play its full part”, said Mr Starmer on his arrival in Yerevan, quoted by AFP.
At the end of 2025, due to differences over the amount of the UK’s contribution, the EU and the UK failed to reach an agreement on the UK’s participation in the €150 billion European ‘SAFE’ loan designed to help Member States spend more on their defence sector (see EUROPE 13762/2).
Research. Ms von der Leyen and Mr Starmer also announced the start of negotiations on British participation in the European Innovation Council fund, including the ‘Scaleup Europe’ fund. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)