May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s very good for UK-EU relations, which is very important as we go on to the various discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired a meeting on Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Attendees included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Poland\u2019s premier Donald Tusk, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Nato chief Mark Rutte, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and vice president Kaja Kallas, and European Council president Antonio Costa.<\/p>\n
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the first leader of a non-European country to attend the EPC, also participated.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir will tell allies that Britain wants to work more closely with them to ensure Kyiv gets the military equipment it needs to continue its fight against Russia.<\/p>\n
The UK will also impose further sanctions on Russian companies later this week in a bid to disrupt military supply chains, according to Downing Street.<\/p>\n
Access to the loan initiative could create opportunities for British defence firms to compete for contracts under the scheme.<\/p>\n
The bid to participate in the scheme \u2013 recently approved by the EU after Viktor Orban\u2019s defeat in Hungarian elections ended a long-running impasse \u2013 is part of the Prime Minister\u2019s reset with the bloc.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the EPC summit, Sir Keir called for the UK and EU to \u201cgo further and faster on defence\u201d co-operation.<\/p>\n
Brussels is pushing for Britain to agree to pay around \u00a31 billion a year before detailed talks on further access to the single market, according to The Times.<\/p>\n
The Government said it did not recognise the reporting, with a spokesperson saying: \u201cWe won\u2019t comment on ongoing negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under plans to be unveiled in the King\u2019s Speech, which have been criticised by the Tories and Reform UK, the Government will seek legislation to follow EU single market rules without necessarily giving MPs a vote on each piece of red tape.<\/p>\n