Overview
- The British government said negotiations on joining the EU's SAFE defense fund have ended without an agreement.
- Minister Nick Thomas‑Symonds said talks were conducted in good faith but the UK will only sign terms that meet national‑interest and value‑for‑money tests.
- London noted that UK defense companies can still join projects under third‑country conditions within SAFE.
- An EU Commission spokesman stressed the fund was designed to be open and pointed to available pathways for non‑member participation.
- The outcome undercuts Prime Minister Keir Starmer's May push for a closer post‑Brexit reset that enabled talks on the roughly €150 billion rearmament initiative.