London has reportedly refused to pay to join a weapons scheme aimed at countering an alleged Russian threat
The UK has rejected a European Union demand to pay billions of euros to join a new weapons program that Brussels says is needed to deter an alleged threat from Russia, Bloomberg has reported, citing sources.
The European Commission proposed that London contribute between €4 billion and €6.5 billion ($4.3-7 billion) to take part in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, according to the outlet. The UK, along with Canada, had entered talks on participation in September.
The €150 billion fund is designed to finance the development of drones, missile systems, cyber-defense tools, and a European air shield. It forms part of the EU’s wider €800 billion military spending plan approved earlier this year.
A senior British official described the proposed fees as excessive and well above what London expected to pay for access, confirming that the offer had been rejected, Bloomberg wrote on Tuesday. Negotiations to lower the figure are reportedly continuing ahead of the November 30 deadline for funding proposals.
The UK has spent billions on military supplies to Ukraine since the escalation of its conflict with Russia in 2022, all while suffering weak economic growth and struggling with high public debt.
Over the past three years, Western officials have claimed that Russia could threaten EU states, prompting a military buildup across the bloc. European NATO members agreed to boost military spending to as much as 5% of GDP by 2035, following pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has long demanded that European members “pay their share” in the US-led military bloc.
Moscow has repeatedly dismissed allegations of hostile intent toward Western nations and has seen the European buildup as evidence of Western militarization. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated last month that Western nations are openly readying a “new big European war” against Russia and its key ally Belarus.
