UK and EU Open Door for Renewed Defence Talks Amid Tensions
In a significant move, the United Kingdom and European Union are set to resume discussions on closer defence cooperation, with talks scheduled to take place in London next week. The latest development comes as tensions between France and other member states continue to simmer over the UK's involvement in the EU's €150bn (£130bn) Security Action for Europe (Safe) fund.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has expressed a desire to "go further" in the UK's relationship with Brussels, sparking hopes of renewed cooperation on defence. While the talks will focus on trade, energy, and fisheries, diplomatic sources suggest that the UK is keen to discuss restarting negotiations on its participation in Safe, which collapsed last November.
The collapse of Safe talks was attributed to disagreements over the price for UK entry into the programme, with the EU demanding a significant contribution from the British. However, one European source has revealed that France wanted to tie the UK's involvement in Safe to its participation in a second defence programme agreed by EU leaders last December. Germany, on the other hand, has taken a more relaxed approach.
The breakdown in talks was seen as an embarrassment, given the EU and both sides' declarations of "enhanced cooperation" through Safe at a summit hosted by Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen last May. Nevertheless, there is growing appetite for a deal on the UK's participation in future rounds of Safe, particularly following Donald Trump's criticism of Nato and his comments on taking over Greenland.
As Starmer faces pressure from within his own party to strengthen ties with the EU, Labour MP Stella Creasy has called for closer cooperation on defence and national security. "There's now a growing recognition our future lies with restoring a strong working relationship...that means everything should be on the table in talks with EU countries," she said.
The EU-UK Partnership Council will meet next week, with trade and energy on the agenda. While defence is not currently on the agenda, there may be further opportunities for discussion at a political summit convened by Marco Rubio to discuss critical minerals in Washington later this week.
As the UK considers its position in the Safe fund, the British government was prepared to contribute "hundreds of millions" of euros, but ultimately rejected the EU's demand of around €2bn. The fund, which provides loans for military equipment procurement, has been seen as a means for the EU to quickly build up its defence capability, an aim given renewed urgency following Trump's criticism of Nato.
While the talks are still in their early stages, they offer a glimmer of hope for closer cooperation between the UK and EU on defence. As tensions between France and other member states continue to simmer, it remains to be seen whether the two sides can find common ground and forge a stronger partnership.
In a significant move, the United Kingdom and European Union are set to resume discussions on closer defence cooperation, with talks scheduled to take place in London next week. The latest development comes as tensions between France and other member states continue to simmer over the UK's involvement in the EU's €150bn (£130bn) Security Action for Europe (Safe) fund.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has expressed a desire to "go further" in the UK's relationship with Brussels, sparking hopes of renewed cooperation on defence. While the talks will focus on trade, energy, and fisheries, diplomatic sources suggest that the UK is keen to discuss restarting negotiations on its participation in Safe, which collapsed last November.
The collapse of Safe talks was attributed to disagreements over the price for UK entry into the programme, with the EU demanding a significant contribution from the British. However, one European source has revealed that France wanted to tie the UK's involvement in Safe to its participation in a second defence programme agreed by EU leaders last December. Germany, on the other hand, has taken a more relaxed approach.
The breakdown in talks was seen as an embarrassment, given the EU and both sides' declarations of "enhanced cooperation" through Safe at a summit hosted by Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen last May. Nevertheless, there is growing appetite for a deal on the UK's participation in future rounds of Safe, particularly following Donald Trump's criticism of Nato and his comments on taking over Greenland.
As Starmer faces pressure from within his own party to strengthen ties with the EU, Labour MP Stella Creasy has called for closer cooperation on defence and national security. "There's now a growing recognition our future lies with restoring a strong working relationship...that means everything should be on the table in talks with EU countries," she said.
The EU-UK Partnership Council will meet next week, with trade and energy on the agenda. While defence is not currently on the agenda, there may be further opportunities for discussion at a political summit convened by Marco Rubio to discuss critical minerals in Washington later this week.
As the UK considers its position in the Safe fund, the British government was prepared to contribute "hundreds of millions" of euros, but ultimately rejected the EU's demand of around €2bn. The fund, which provides loans for military equipment procurement, has been seen as a means for the EU to quickly build up its defence capability, an aim given renewed urgency following Trump's criticism of Nato.
While the talks are still in their early stages, they offer a glimmer of hope for closer cooperation between the UK and EU on defence. As tensions between France and other member states continue to simmer, it remains to be seen whether the two sides can find common ground and forge a stronger partnership.
I mean, what's up with that? is it because our batteries are just getting so good now? 
also, did you know that there's a new Pokémon game coming out and it's going to have a whole new region? i'm totally getting that.
... just like in our personal lives, we gotta learn to compromise and listen to each other's perspectives 
... starmer's desire to "go further" in uk-eu relations shows that there's room for growth and cooperation 
... the key is to approach these talks with an open mind and a willingness to adapt 
. And Germany seems super chill about it, unlike France which has a beef with the UK over Safe 
. Still, Trump's comments on Nato were pretty wild 
. Can't wait to see what comes out of these talks, fingers crossed for some real progress 
!
so the uk & eu are talkin again about defense coop, but like what's really goin on? 
france is all like "hey uk, we need ur money" and germany's all chill about it 
. labour party leader keir starmer wants to "go further" with eu, which sounds good i guess, but what does that even mean? 
anyway, gotta keep an eye on this one, especially since trump said some shady things about nato 
that starmer's actually been having some backroom chats with von der leyen about reviving safe talks, and he's willing to budge on the contribution thing. think france might be trying to strongarm the uk into tying its defence participation to another programme, but germany's being all chill about it 
anyway, labour's got a point - we do need to strengthen ties with eu on defence. don't wanna see us playing both sides against each other like nato's been doing. hoping starmer can pull off some magic and get us closer to that €2bn deal 
like what r they even doin w/o talkin bout defence lol? i heard starmer wanna go furthur in relations wit brussels & now we got keir talkin bout restartin safe talks! fingers crossed dey can get it 2gthr soon! 
meanwhile france is all about tying uk involvement in safe 2 its participation in another defence prog...let's hope dey can make it 2gthr 
Trump's comments on Nato just got EU-UK back on the table for deft talks 
, still hoping for a deal on safe fund, think its key for both sides 
. people r saying he's just trying 2 maintain a good relationship w/ eu, but what if it's actually about making a smart move for the uk? 
after that awkward safe fund collapse last year lol hope they can find some common ground & work together on somethin new 
and honestly, if the uk can get a better deal on this than they did last time, that's a win in my book 
gotta wonder if trump's comments had anything to do with it though...
The EU and UK finally deciding to talk shop again about defense is a good thing in my opinion! I mean, who doesn't want a stronger partnership on that front? 
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. I mean, after that whole Safe fund fiasco last year, it's good they're willing to give it another shot 
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. The EU needs to show its strength and capability on the world stage. And Germany being all chill about it is kinda cool 
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. It's not like he's exactly known for his diplomatic skills 
. So yeah, I'm curious to see what comes out of these talks. Fingers crossed they can find common ground and make it happen