London might be required to pay a fee to join the loan as suggested by France, with backing from other countries, proposing that third-party countries participating should contribute. They argued it would be unfair for non-EU countries to avoid paying interest when EU member countries do, according to three EU diplomats. However, British officials stated this idea isn’t under active discussion. A U.K. government spokesperson said they do not comment on internal EU processes, highlighting the country’s commitment of £21.8 billion in support for Ukraine through military and fiscal assistance.
European Commissioners Maros Šefčovič and Valdis Dombrovskis will visit London for meetings with British ministers ahead of a planned second EU-U.K. summit later this year, with talks expected to focus on trade.
Leaving China, Starmer expressed a desire to “get closer” to the EU beyond current plans, targeting defense, security, energy, emissions, and trade. Regarding the second annual U.K.-EU summit planned for later this spring, Starmer stated the intention to follow up on the 10 strands outlined at last year’s summit and aim for closer ties through an iterative process.
Jacopo Barigazzi and Jon Stone contributed to this report.
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