The UK is moving to join a €90 billion European Union loan scheme for Ukraine, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the benefits outweigh the costs, as he pushes for closer ties with Europe at a summit in Armenia this week.
The proposal forms part of the government’s wider effort to strengthen defence cooperation with European partners while supporting Ukraine’s war effort. Speaking at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan on Monday (4 May), Sir Keir said the scheme would provide Ukraine with urgently needed military capability as the war enters its fifth year, while also delivering economic benefits for the UK.
He argued that joining the loan would allow British defence firms to access contracts funded through the programme, helping to support jobs at home.
The €90 billion package, approved by EU leaders last month, is expected to cover a significant portion of Ukraine’s financial and defence needs over the next two years, with most of the funding directed towards military support.
Sir Keir also used the summit to push for closer relations with the EU, describing deeper cooperation as being in the UK’s national interest. He said the benefits of working more closely with the bloc extended beyond Ukraine to defence, security and the economy.
The move comes amid growing concern among European leaders over tensions with the United States, particularly over military policy and support for Ukraine.
Sir Keir acknowledged that traditional alliances were under strain, warning that “there is more tension… than there should be” and calling for greater unity among European countries.
If negotiations succeed, the UK could contribute up to £400 million to the scheme, with funding expected to come from the government’s existing support package for Ukraine.
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Leaders from around the world are gathering in New York for the latest session of the United Nations General Assembly, with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, global security, trade, artificial intelligence, climate change and economic development dominating the agenda.
Iran has called for a diplomatic solution after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected its Hormuz proposal, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was awaiting a definitive U.S. response through mediators.
British police have arrested five men on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act after a major security incident was declared near RAF Fairford, a British air base used by U.S. air forces in Gloucestershire, England.
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’s mayor. The strike follows a day of near-continuous Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least five people.
Six people have died after a two-storey residential building in a tourist area of central Athens collapsed, the Greek fire brigade said on Saturday (26 September), following an explosion that the mayor said was likely linked to gas infrastructure.
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’s mayor. The strike follows a day of near-continuous Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least five people.
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) and its ally, the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), have won enough seats to form a group in the Senate for the first time, marking a breakthrough for the party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Pope Leo has renewed his pledge to tackle abuse within the Catholic Church after privately meeting survivors of clergy abuse during his visit to France.
Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected stricter neutrality rules that would have limited the country’s ability to impose sanctions and cooperate with NATO, with more than 70 per cent voting against the proposal.
Pope Leo XIV joined an estimated 150,000 pilgrims for a traditional candlelight procession at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France on Sunday (27 September), during the final evening of his visit to the Catholic pilgrimage site.
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