Ukraine
EU member states are divided over eligibility criteria tied to a planned €90 billion loan for Ukraine’s defence purchases, exposing tensions between protecting European defence industry interests and Ukraine’s battlefield procurement needs.
EDA
The European Defence Agency will hold its Annual Conference on 28 January 2026 in Brussels, focusing on collective European defense readiness toward 2030.
Brussels
Europe’s attempt to build a unified defense-industrial framework has faltered, as the UK remains excluded from the EU’s new €150B SAF-E funding instrument — underscoring ongoing fragmentation in European strategic cooperation.
United Kingdom
The UK has rejected Brussels’ demand to pay up to €6.75 billion to join the EU’s new SAFE defense fund, deepening post-Brexit tensions and potentially sidelining Britain from Europe’s largest collective rearmament initiative.
EU
The EU Council and European Parliament have reached a landmark agreement to accelerate and coordinate investments in Europe’s defense sector under the “ReArm Europe” plan — with Ukraine officially joining the European Defence Fund.