Von der Leyen to press Burnham for Ukraine funding at Brussels summit

Ursula von der Leyen plans to ask Prime Minister Andy Burnham to raise Britain's financial support for Ukraine during a summit in Brussels on 20 November. The European Commission president will argue that non-EU allies, specifically the UK, Canada, and Japan, must increase their contributions to cover a looming financial shortfall. Brussels states that previous requests for additional aid at recent international meetings have not yielded results.

Ukraine reports a funding gap of 70 billion euros, or 58 billion pounds, for the year 2027. This deficit covers both defence and civilian needs as the war enters its fifth winter. The European Union and its member states currently fund 80 percent of Ukraine's financial requirements. Commission officials consider a fair share for the EU to be two-thirds of the total cost, with the remaining third borne by other partners. Von der Leyen told reporters last week that the bloc will continue to lead the effort but needs other partners to step up urgently.

The EU agreed to a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine last year. This package was designed to cover two-thirds of Kyiv's funding needs for 2026 and 2027. However, Russian attacks have intensified, causing costs to rise further. European officials are now looking beyond the G7 members to Switzerland, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand for additional assistance. Von der Leyen will also address the issue with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next week.

The timing of the demand complicates the position of the British government. Chancellor John Healey is preparing his first budget next week. He is weighing calls for increased spending against rising government borrowing costs and a worsening economic outlook. Healey stated earlier this month that he is working on different ways to step up support for Ukraine, including military, diplomatic, and economic measures.

The UK has committed 25 billion pounds to Ukraine, which includes 16 billion pounds in military aid. According to the Kiel Institute's Ukraine Support Tracker, the UK is the fourth largest donor, behind the US, Germany, and France. Weighted by GDP, the UK contribution stands at 0.86 percent of national income. This figure is lower than France's 1.1 percent and Germany's 1.5 percent, and far below Denmark's 4.2 percent and Estonia's 3.8 percent. The UK's position is closer to France and Germany once their contributions to EU programmes are excluded.

Leaders are expected to conclude three agreements at the 20 November summit. These include a food and animal health deal to reduce Brexit paperwork, a linkage of emissions trading schemes to protect British industry from European carbon taxes, and a youth mobility scheme for those aged 18 to 30. The Commission proposed deferring the issue of university tuition fees to technical talks within six months of the summit. This move aims to prevent the fee dispute from derailing the leaders' meeting.

The UK wants to charge EU students the international rate, which is about four times the domestic fee. The EU seeks a return to the pre-Brexit status quo, where EU students paid home rates. Senior EU sources believe the bloc retains leverage because the food and emissions deals will not enter into force until a youth mobility agreement is accepted. An EU diplomat noted that the three elements are a gift to the UK, but the leverage lies in the UK's need for these agreements. A second diplomat said there is no clear majority among the 27 member states to drop the fee issue for six months.