© EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL / POOL He plans to rescue NATO’s unity.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attempt to strengthen support for the Alliance among European allies at the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday, amid concerns that US President Donald Trump may further destabilize the military bloc due to disputes over defense spending.
This is reported by The Guardian.
Downing Street stated that Starmer and other world leaders will focus on “building a stronger and more European NATO,” while attempting to address the US President’s claims.
The British government has rejected criticism from the US Ambassador to NATO, who stated that “some allies are doing more than others.” Trump is expected to once again criticize a number of countries, including the UK, for insufficient progress in achieving the goal of spending 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035.
“We reject these claims. The UK has always fulfilled its commitments to NATO regarding defense spending and remains one of the main defense hubs in the Alliance,” said an official representative of the British Prime Minister.
He also noted that he does not expect Trump to publicly “scold” Starmer during the summit.
Starmer’s Final International Summit
The NATO summit is expected to be Keir Starmer’s last international trip as Prime Minister.
It may be his last opportunity to mend relations with Donald Trump after disagreements over the war with Iran.
At the same time, British government officials fear that Starmer may be relegated to a secondary role during the summit.
The Prime Minister will arrive in Ankara less than two weeks before the end of his term, while his likely successor, Andy Burnham, is already consulting with civil servants regarding the transfer of power.
Critics accuse Starmer of leaving his successor with a £5 billion defense program funding deficit.
Downing Street emphasized that the UK’s contribution to NATO, which is considered the cornerstone of the country’s national security, “will not waver.”
The government has confirmed its intention to increase defense spending to 2.7% of GDP in 2027–2028, although it is not currently making a firm commitment to reach the intermediate target of 3% of GDP by the end of the decade.
“In a new era of threats… together with allies, the Prime Minister will focus on building a stronger and more European NATO, ready to support Ukraine and counter the long-term threat from an increasingly reckless and dangerous Russia,” stated a government spokesperson.
Alliance by calculation: how Trump is turning NATO into a commercial project — Politico
Russian Activity Near NATO is Increasing
According to the British government, Russia’s military activity near NATO waters has significantly intensified recently.
In particular, over the past two years, the number of Russian vessels posing a potential threat to British territorial waters has increased by 30%.
In addition, NATO fighter jets have been scrambled over 700 times to intercept Russian aircraft approaching the airspace of the Alliance countries.
“This is precisely why the UK strives to build a stronger Europe within NATO, as the security, stability, and well-being of our citizens depend on it,” the government emphasized.
During the summit, Donald Trump plans to hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a number of other leaders.
Meanwhile, a separate bilateral meeting with Starmer is not currently planned – it is expected that they will only communicate during general sessions or informal events.
Despite this, Starmer and other European allies intend to convince Trump that the promises regarding increased defense spending will be realized in practice, and the distribution of financial burden within NATO will become fairer.
The UK is the Third Largest NATO Donor
In real terms, the United Kingdom is the third largest financial donor to NATO after the United States and Germany.
However, in terms of defense spending as a share of GDP, the country ranks only 14th among the 32 member states of the Alliance.
British officials announced that a series of new defense industry initiatives will be announced at the summit, including joint projects with allies.
Despite ongoing disagreements with European partners and previous statements about the potential withdrawal of the US from NATO, Donald Trump is expected to use the summit to assess how allies are increasing their defense capabilities and to continue pressuring them to achieve 5% of GDP in defense spending.