Armed forces minister Al Carns has warned that Europe must increase its military capabilities as the “shadow of war” looms, echoing stark comments from the Nato secretary general. In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Carns said countries needed to “increase our lethality” and stop relying on the United States for security, as Washington faces multiple global threats.
His warning follows Nato secretary general Mark Rutte’s assertion that Europe is “Russia’s next target” and that nations must prepare for a conflict on a scale not seen since the Second World War. Mr Carns noted that Europe and the UK have outsourced their defence to the US for decades, but must now “up our game on defence spending”. He stressed that Nato collectively outmatches Russia numerically.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that US President Donald Trump and European leaders are aligned on their goals for Ukraine, despite tensions. Mr Trump has criticised European allies as “weak” leaders of “decaying” nations, but the White House said he was “sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting” and wanted action on a peace deal.
Ukraine has submitted its own 20-point peace proposal to Washington, pushing back against a US-drafted plan that reportedly included a “free economic zone” in Donbas. President Volodymyr Zelensky said any such move would require a referendum or elections. He also sought a legally binding framework for security guarantees from the US, approved by Congress.
The UK and French-led “coalition of the willing” has discussed using frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine, describing the moment as “pivotal” for Kyiv and the Euro-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, the US has not committed to sending an official to upcoming peace talks, with the White House saying it would only attend if there was a real chance of signing an agreement.
