Britain and Ukraine signed an agreement on a loan of 2.26 billion pounds (about 2.84 billion U.S. dollars) to support Ukraine's defense capabilities, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in a social media post on Saturday evening, Reuters reports.
Marchenko said the funding will be secured using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
On the same day, the British Treasury said on social media that British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Marchenko had signed a bilateral agreement to provide Ukraine with a loan of 2.26 billion pounds, which will be paid back by profits generated from sanctioned Russian assets.
The United States had previously contacted Russia alone in an effort to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, provoking dissatisfaction among European countries including Ukraine.
The British side announced that it will convene a defense summit with European leaders at Downing Street on Sunday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting Britain, will also attend the meeting.
The British prime minister's office said in a statement that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer firmly supports Ukraine and is making every effort to find a path to achieve lasting peace while ensuring Ukraine's sovereignty and security.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Britain and France have formulated plans to provide Ukraine with lasting security guarantees, which will be discussed at the meeting in London on Sunday.
Reuters quoted a Turkish diplomatic source as saying that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will reiterate at the meeting that Türkiye is willing to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine again.
Ahead of the meeting, Zelensky had a fierce quarrel with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States.
A senior Ukrainian official said that after Zelensky left the White House on Friday, he had phone calls with Starmer, Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Council President Antonio Costa and other dignitaries, all of whom expressed support for Ukraine.
Many European leaders and EU officials also publicly expressed support for Ukraine after the U.S.-Ukraine meeting.
There is also divergence within European countries on the Ukrainian issue.
In a letter to Costa dated Saturday, reported by AFP, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the EU should have direct contact with Russia to discuss the realization of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and sustainable peace.
In the letter, Orban also opposed the EU's position on providing security guarantees and sending weapons to Ukraine. He said there were unbridgeable "strategic differences" within the bloc on the Ukraine issue.
On the same day, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico reiterated in a social media post that he refused to provide military and financial support to Ukraine. Fico said Slovakia "will not support Ukraine economically or militarily for continued conflict" and that European countries should strengthen their own defense capabilities.
