Canada to join EU's 90-bln-euro Ukraine loan package

Canada has signaled its intention to join the European Union's 90-billion-euro (103.3 billion U.S. dollars) loan package for Ukraine, with technical details currently being negotiated between the two sides, European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said on Friday.

Speaking at the Commission's press briefing, Ujvari noted that should Canada come on board the scheme, Ukraine would be able to use the loan proceeds to procure weapons and military equipment from Canadian defense firms, expanding its pool of available defense suppliers.

He said that as a participating member, Canada would cover a proportional share of the loan's interest costs, though the exact financial arrangement remains subject to ongoing discussions.

Ujvari added that the EU hopes Canada, the United Kingdom and other allied partners will further ramp up their support for Ukraine.

The EU formally approved the 90-billion-euro loan package for Ukraine in April, earmarking the funds for fiscal and military assistance to the country through 2026 and 2027.

The United Kingdom became the first non-EU nation to join the program in July 2026.

At least four more U.S. service members have died during the ongoing Iran war than the Pentagon has disclosed publicly, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing six officials from the Department of War.

Five of the officials said there have been at least 22 military fatalities, four more than the figure in the Pentagon's public database.

Another official said 23 service members have died since Feb 28, when the U.S. and Israel initiated the Iran war.

Not all of the undisclosed deaths are directly tied to the conflict but have involved U.S. personnel who were in the Middle East amid ongoing hostilities, the official added.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied the report later on the day, calling it "a complete lie" in a social media post.