The UK is set to start talks to join the European Union’s 90 billion euro (£78 billion) loan for Ukraine, as the Government seeks to bolster support for Kyiv and deepen defence ties with the bloc.
Sir Keir Starmer will tell leaders at a European gathering in Armenia’s capital Yerevan on Monday that Britain wants to work more closely with them to ensure Ukraine gets the military equipment it needs to continue its fightback against Russia’s invasion.
The bid to participate in the loan scheme – recently approved by the EU after Viktor Orban’s defeat in Hungarian elections ended a long-running impasse – is part of the Prime Minister’s reset with Brussels.
Sir Keir called for the UK and EU to “go further and faster on defence” co-operation before his visit to the European Political Community summit (EPC) in Armenia, only the second by a British leader to the Caucasus country and the first in more than 25 years.
He also noted access to the initiative could create opportunities for British defence firms to compete for contracts under the scheme.
The UK will also slap further sanctions on Russian companies to disrupt military supply chains later this week, according to Downing Street.
The Prime Minister said: “When the UK and the European Union work together, we all reap the benefits — and in these volatile times we need to go further and faster on defence to keep people safe.
“That is why 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.
“I will always act in our national interest: protecting our security, supporting our allies, and delivering jobs and stability at home.”
Sir Keir has indicated he wants to work more closely with the EU on defence, even after talks aimed at the UK potentially joining Brussels’ 150 billion euro (£130 billion) Security Action for Europe rearmament fund broke down at the end of last year as the price for entry was considered too high.
Before his Armenia trip, the Labour leader wrote in The Observer that Brexit had “damaged our economy” and that strengthening economic links with the continent was key to recovery.
The UK and EU, which will hold another joint summit this summer, will negotiate the parameters of access to the bloc’s loan for Ukraine in the coming weeks, No 10 said.
The EU last month approved the financial boost, vital to keep Ukraine afloat for the next two years, after Hungary lifted its veto.
Sir Keir is expected to hold meetings with some of his European counterparts in the margins of the EPC.
When the Prime Minister met Volodymyr Zelensky in Yerevan on Sunday, the Ukrainian president thanked the King for his “strong words” on the defence of Ukraine during his state visit to the United States, for UK sanctions against Russia and efforts to counter the shadow fleet.
The meeting of the EPC, formed in 2022 after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, comes as US President Donald Trump has shifted his attention from that conflict to the one in the Middle East.
The fallout from the Iran war will also be high on the agenda, and the Prime Minister will press for action to limit the economic impacts and de-escalate.
He will discuss with allies how to best contribute to long-term security in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas shipping route whose blockade has strained economies worldwide.
The Prime Minister’s trip comes before local elections this week when voters will deliver their first verdict on his Government.
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