British soldiers during a NATO exercise in Poland in February 2024. (Liesa Johannssen/Bloomberg)

The EU is trying to speed up negotiations on a new defense and security agreement with the UK; The election of Donald Trump raises concerns in Europe that he may need to increase aid to Ukraine in the face of a possible decline in American support.

A UK-European Union defense deal is now one of the top priorities in their relationship and has gained momentum in recent days, according to sources familiar with the talks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU leaders used a summit in Budapest on Thursday to intensify talks on how to boost the security relationship, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. UK officials are exploring what would be included in such an agreement and are considering steps such as joint arms purchases and more joint military exercises and expeditions.

During the presidential debate in September, Trump dodged a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to succeed in its effort to expel the invading Russians, and his running mate, J.D. Vance, said a deal to end the war would “probably” require Russia to remain in control. He agrees to give up his goal of joining NATO in the territories he captured in Ukraine and Kiev.

Although the EU is the largest aid provider to Ukraine, Kiev relies on the US for vital military resources such as F-16s and ATACM long-range missiles.

The EU has exhausted most of its existing arms stockpiles to send to Ukraine, but Britain’s stockpiles are in better shape, according to a European diplomatic official.

Starmer held talks with his Czech, Polish and Ukrainian counterparts at the European Political Community meeting in Budapest on Thursday, hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Starmer will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris next week as part of commemorations for the end of the First World War.

Starmer and Poland’s Donald Tusk “discussed their desire to deepen their existing partnership in defense and security, particularly in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression,” according to a Downing Street spokesman.

While British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he wants the deal to be ambitious, some officials have warned that it could not risk violating the defense agreement Britain already has with the United States and Australia, which focuses mostly on nuclear weapons production. nuclear-powered attack submarines.

The people said EU diplomats had always believed the security deal was doable, despite their disappointment with Britain’s lack of detailed information so far, but because of the US election results, the agreement had now become the top priority in UK-EU relations.

British officials expect formal negotiations to begin in the coming months, once the EU’s new commission takes office. Both UK and EU diplomats believe 2025 is a critical window for delivering these agreements and warn that the momentum brought by the reset under the new UK administration risks fading beyond that.