Overview
- At the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris on Monday, world leaders publicly thanked Sir Keir Starmer as he made one of his final diplomatic appearances and used the visit to bid farewells.
- Sir Keir announced that Britain will join the EU’s €90 billion loan intended to cover Ukraine’s most urgent defence and budget needs for 2026–2027.
- The EU says roughly two-thirds of the loan will fund military spending and that repayment is expected to come from reparations owed by Russia to Ukraine.
- French President Emmanuel Macron presented Starmer with the Legion d'honneur and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised his close cooperation, with both leaders stressing that UK support should continue under his successor.
- Starmer warned that Russia may try to intimidate allies with talk of escalation and hybrid attacks, and the loan is meant to bolster Kyiv’s defence, sustain its budgets, and reinforce allied deterrence while diplomatic and legal steps to secure reparations are pursued.