Starmer to call on Europe to take more responsibility for defense - Bloomberg
Keir Starmer (photo: Getty Images)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Brussels today for an informal European Council meeting. He will urge leaders to take on more responsibility for the defense and security of the continent amid growing threats from Moscow, as well as continue providing military support to Ukraine, reports Bloomberg.
"I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine," Starmer is expected to say in his speech.
He will also present an ambitious partnership between the UK and the EU in the areas of defense and security. The goal is to expand cooperation in tackling shared threats, cross-border crime, and illegal migration.
Bloomberg notes that the EU, the UK, and the US have imposed economic sanctions on Moscow in an attempt to strike at the Russian economy. However, US President Donald Trump’s orders to suspend and reassess foreign aid, as well as his desire to end the war quickly, have raised concerns about how long the US will continue to support Kyiv and exert pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military budget.
Russia's war against NATO
Yesterday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reminded that NATO countries must prepare for war and increase defense spending. Otherwise, Russia may try something similar to what it did in Ukraine.
He also announced that the future defense spending quota for NATO countries will exceed 2% of GDP. A decision on the exact contribution size will be made in the coming months and could range from 3% to 3.5%.
