UK and EU Hasten Work on Defense Pact After Trump’s Victory
(Bloomberg) -- The EU is seeking to accelerate talks with the UK on a new defense and security pact, with the election of Donald Trump raising concerns in Europe that it will need to boost aid to Ukraine amid the possibility of reduced American support.
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A UK-European Union defense accord is now a top priority in their relations and has gained momentum in recent days, according to people familiar with the talks.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU leaders used a summit in Budapest on Thursday to intensify talks about ways the security relationship could be ramped up, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. UK officials are looking into what would be included in such a pact, and are considering steps like common procurement of weapons and more joint military exercises and expeditions.
In a September presidential debate, Trump sidestepped a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to succeed in its effort to expel the invading Russians, and his running mate, JD Vance, has said that a deal to end the war would “probably” entail Russia retaining the land it’s seized in Ukraine and Kyiv agreeing to renounce its goal of joining NATO.
Even though the EU is the biggest provider of aid to Ukraine, Kyiv relies on the US for crucial military resources such as F-16s and ATACM long-range missiles.
The EU has largely used up its existing stocks of arms to send to Ukraine but the UK is better stocked, according to one European diplomatic official.
During the European Political Community meeting in Budapest Thursday, hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Starmer held talks with his Czech, Polish, Ukrainian counterparts. He also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Starmer will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris next week amid commemorations of the end of World War I.
Starmer and Poland’s Donald Tusk “discussed their desire to deepen their existing partnership across defense and security, particularly in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression,” according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
While UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he wants the deal to be ambitious, some officials have cautioned that an accord can’t risk infringing on the defense pact the UK already has with the US and Australia, which is mostly focused on the production of nuclear-powered attack submarines.
While EU diplomats have always believed that the security pact is doable, despite private frustrations by the lack of detail from the UK so far, the accord is now their top priority for UK-EU relations due to the US election result, said the people.
UK officials expect formal negotiations to begin in the coming months, once the EU’s new commission gets underway. Both UK and EU diplomats believe that 2025 is the crucial window for thrashing out these pacts, and warn that momentum from the reset under the new UK administration risks being lost beyond that.
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