EU chief mocks France for excluding UK from £130bn defence pact | Politics | News | EUROtoday

An EU overseas affairs chief has mocked France for utilizing a row over fishing rights to dam the UK involvement in a continental safety deal. Kaja Kallas, the previous prime minister of Estonia, informed of her shock on the deadlock over Britain becoming a member of a £125 billion  (150bn euro) joint defence fund.

She stated she was “surprised how important fish are, considering the security situation”. Ms Kallas added: “’I’m definitely pushing this from my side because I think the UK is a very important defence and security partner, it’s the most logical defence and security partner that we have and it is a beneficial relationship for both sides.”

While laughing, she continued: “I’m learning in this job … fish to the French they are very important.”

The UK has tried to be included within the initiative in mild of its management over the “coalition of the willing” aimed toward bolstering the continent’s defence capabilities.

Although talks on the UK becoming a member of the initiative is underway, it has hit a roadblock due to wider calls for on a EU-UK pact over fishing rights and migration.

Many EU member states need ensures they may proceed to have the identical degree of entry to UK fishing waters as beneath a present deal that expires in June subsequent yr.

There can be a push for Sir Keir to collapse on a youth mobility scheme to present younger Europeans better freedom to return to the UK to check and work – and vice versa for younger Britons.

It comes because the UK’s Defence Secretary John Healey urged Ukraine’s allies to “look hard” at what extra they’ll do to assist Kyiv because the UK introduced a £450 million “surge” in army assist on Friday.

He opened a gathering of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels with a plea to his fellow defence ministers to “step up our support for Ukraine in the fight”.

He stated: “Our job as defence ministers is to get urgent military aid into the hands of Ukrainian warfighters.

“And to those nations not making fresh commitments today, I urge you to look again, to look hard at what more you can do.

“All military aid now will help Ukraine in the fight today and help secure a durable peace tomorrow, because the Ukrainian armed forces must be their own strongest deterrent against further Russian attacks.”