BLITZ BUREAU
AT his first global summit since becoming Britain’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer called on NATO allies to do more to increase their defence spending, saying it was needed to protect the alliance’s values in “a new and dangerous era”.
His Government, he said, would come up with a roadmap to reach 2.5 per cent of the GDP on defence spending. Starmer said that 23 members, out of the 32 in the alliance, were spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defence, “but in light of the grave threats to our security, we must go further”.
Generational threat
“We face the generational threat of Russia, aided by the likes of North Korea and Iran. Conflicts rage across the Middle East and North Africa, the challenge of China, terrorism and international institutions, that should be at the heart of the response are being undermined,” he said, according to news agency Reuters.
Starmer repeatedly avoided answering questions on whether US President Joe Biden was fit enough to run for a new term after he mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Russian President Vladimir Putin before correcting himself. Instead, he praised Biden’s role in organising, what he called, a successful NATO summit in Washington.
“This was a successful council, he led it, he deserves credit for that,” Starmer told a news conference.
UK commitment
Starmer said the UK has an “enduring and unwavering commitment to the NATO alliance”, to helping Ukraine achieve victory over Russia, and the “collective security of our country, our continent and our allies around the world”
NATO is “stronger than ever” and Britain will play “a full role” in the alliance, he said. The timing of his landslide victory – earlier than expected after predecessor Rishi Sunak set a July date – means Starmer can use the NATO summit and next week’s European Political Community meeting to build ties with world leaders.
