The prime minister is backing the deal as it would allow British firms to access the contracts funded by the loan
Here are some pictures of Keir Starmer at the European Political Community summit in Armenia. Downing Street says Starmer is only the second British prime minister to visit the country; the first was Margaret Thatcher in 1990.
Good morning. In the UK many MPs will be spending the bank holiday campaigning for the elections on Thursday, but Keir Starmer is in Armenia, where he has announced that he wants the UK to join the EU’s €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine.
In relation to the EU loan that we are discussing participating in, that is very good for Ukraine, because it will give Ukraine capability that is desperately needs in year five of this conflict.
It’s very good for the UK, because of the capability that leads to jobs in the United Kingdom.
The extra funding to Ukraine could unlock opportunity for British businesses to fill urgent capability needs for Ukraine as part of the initiative and give British defence industry access to major contracts.
The move is a significant step towards a new ambitious relationship between the UK and EU – building on the prime minister’s calls at the Munich Security Conference in February to deepen defence and security cooperation to match the rapidly evolving threats faced by both sides. It also comes ahead of the UK – EU summit, expected to be held this summer, where both sides will discuss further economic and security cooperation.
