The global turmoil prompted by the Trump administration is deepening the EU’s resolve to sign a defence and security pact with the UK that would allow British arms companies to participate in joint arms procurement.
President Donald Trump’s threats to not protect Nato allies and his overtures to Russia have forced European countries to collectively re-arm and scale up their defence spending, while also discussing how to pool capabilities to best protect Ukraine after a possible US-brokered peace deal.
A “coalition of the willing” co-led by France and the UK has paved the way for the pact to be signed next month at a summit of EU leaders hosted by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer — the first such meeting since Brexit.