Officials will call on the UK to ‘step up’ financial support at a Brussels summit, with post-Brexit issues also on the agenda.

EU Leaders' Call for Increased Support

EU leaders will press Andy Burnham at a summit in Brussels to contribute more to Ukraine’s defence effort in 2027. EU officials argue that the UK, Canada, and Japan should do more to support Ukraine, but requests for additional financial aid from these G7 countries at recent international meetings have gone unanswered, according to Brussels.

Upcoming Summits

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, will urge Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to address Ukraine’s financial shortfall at an EU-Canada summit in Toronto next week. A similar request will be made to the British Prime Minister during a long-awaited EU-UK summit on 20 November in Brussels.

Financial Context

As the UK Chancellor, John Healey, prepares for his first budget next week, he faces numerous calls for increased spending amid rising government borrowing costs and a deteriorating economic outlook. Healey stated earlier this month that he is “working on different ways we can step up support for Ukraine – military, diplomatic and economic.”

Ukraine is facing a €70bn (£58bn) funding shortfall in 2027 to cover its defence and civilian needs. The EU and its member states currently finance 80% of Ukraine’s financial requirements, with the commission suggesting a “fair” EU share should be two-thirds, leaving the remaining third to be covered by other allies.

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“We will continue to lead, but we urgently need other partners to step up,” von der Leyen told reporters last week, without naming specific countries.

Previous Commitments and Current Needs

Last year, the EU agreed to a €90bn loan for Ukraine, intended to cover two-thirds of Kyiv’s funding in 2026 and 2027. However, as Russia intensifies its attacks, dragging the war into its fifth winter, Ukraine’s costs continue to rise.