Keir Starmer will travel to Ankara on Tuesday for a Nato summit, aiming to rally European allies and address concerns that Donald Trump may destabilise the alliance with threats over defence spending. Downing Street said the prime minister and other leaders would focus on “building a stronger and more European Nato” as they attempt to respond to the US president’s criticisms in the Turkish capital.
UK Rejects US Ambassador’s Criticism
The UK government has pushed back against pointed criticism from the US ambassador to Nato, who claimed that “some allies are doing more than others”. Trump is expected to rebuke countries, including the UK, for not making sufficient progress toward the target of spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035. “We reject these claims. The UK has always met its Nato spending commitments and remains one of the top defence centres in the alliance,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters, adding that he did not expect Starmer to receive a “dressing down” from the US president.
Starmer’s Final International Trip?
The Nato summit, expected to be the last international trip of Starmer’s premiership, may be his final opportunity to rebuild relations with Trump before he steps down, following disagreements over the war with Iran. However, Whitehall officials are concerned he could be sidelined. Starmer will travel to Ankara with less than two weeks left in office, while Andy Burnham, the prime minister in waiting, is in talks with the civil service on transition plans. Starmer has been accused of leaving Burnham a £5bn funding gap in his defence investment plan.
UK Defence Spending Commitments
No 10 insisted that the UK’s contribution to Nato, regarded as the cornerstone of UK national security, “will not waver”. Defence spending will rise to 2.7% of GDP by 2027-28, although there is no firm commitment to hit a 3% interim benchmark by the end of the decade. “In a new era of threat … alongside our allies, the prime minister will be focused on building a stronger and more European Nato than ever before, ready to support Ukraine and face the long-term threat posed by an increasingly reckless and dangerous Russia,” the spokesperson said.
Russian Activity Prompts Nato Response
Russian military activity around Nato waters has surged, Downing Street said, with a 30% increase in vessels threatening UK waters in the past two years. Nato has scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft approaching allied airspace more than 700 times. “That’s why the UK is committed to building a stronger Europe within Nato – because the safety, stability and prosperity of our citizens depend on it,” they added.
Trump’s Bilateral Talks and Burden Sharing
Trump will hold bilateral talks at the summit with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among others, but is only expected to meet Starmer in main group sessions or on the sidelines. Starmer and other European allies want to set out to Trump how spending pledges will be turned into action, including landing the message with the alliance’s biggest contributor that there will be “fairer burden sharing”. The UK is the third-largest real-terms contributor to Nato, behind only the US and Germany, but ranks 14th out of 32 alliance countries as a percentage share of GDP. UK officials said there would be a string of defence industry announcements, including joint projects with allies.
Trump’s Expected Stance
Despite ongoing tensions with European partners and previous threats that the US might leave Nato entirely, Trump is expected to use the summit to “take stock” of other nations’ expanding defence capabilities, to maintain pressure on them to hit the 5% target.
