US Ambassador Urges NATO Allies to Increase Defence Spending
Keir Starmer is expected to encounter diplomatic challenges at his final major international summit this week following comments from the US ambassador to NATO, who urged alliance members that are "lagging behind" on defence expenditure to take immediate action.
The prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday for the annual NATO summit, where the UK's defence commitment will come under close examination after the government published its defence investment plan (DIP) last week.
Although the plan allocates an additional £15 billion for defence, the increase as a percentage of GDP will progress gradually, rising from 2.6% in 2027 to 2.7% by 2030, with the intended trajectory aiming to reach 3% during the next parliamentary term.
At last year’s NATO summit in The Hague, members agreed to achieve at least 3.5% of GDP by 2035 as part of a broader target of 5% on defence and defence-and security-related spending.
US Ambassador Highlights Disparities Among NATO Members
On Sunday evening, Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, expressed concerns that some alliance members are not advancing quickly enough:
"Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way.
But many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately and not only get on a sustainable path to the 5% but to get to 5% as soon as possible."
Starmer is aware that Whitaker and his US counterparts perceive the UK as among the slower nations in meeting defence spending targets. Additionally, uncertainty surrounds the potential policy direction when, as anticipated, a new prime minister assumes office later this month.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis Commits to Increased Spending
Over the weekend, the new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, who succeeded John Healey following the DIP announcement, pledged to significantly raise defence spending from 2030 and to "evidence the trajectory" towards NATO’s target.
"What I absolutely will want to see is that in the next spending review we commit the resources to evidence the trajectory to 3.5%," Jarvis stated ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey.
Jarvis, eager to retain his position, has already engaged with Andy Burnham and his team to discuss defence priorities and the DIP.
"I’ve known Andy for a very long time and I have not a shred of doubt that as prime minister he will make sure that we’ve got the resources that we need at a point of challenge," Jarvis remarked.
Russian Aircraft Incident Near HMS Prince of Wales
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported that British F-35 fighter jets were deployed to intercept a Russian aircraft that approached the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier at low altitude in the Norwegian Sea.
The MoD statement detailed that the UK ship was "repeatedly approached by a Russian ‘Bear-F’ maritime patrol aircraft," which dropped sonar devices into the water near the carrier.
It further added:
"This activity was unsafe and unprofessional. The Russian aircraft was intercepted and escorted by two UK F-35 jets from HMS Prince of Wales until it left the area."
