United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Newsmax Thursday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss a number of topics with President Donald Trump at the White House this afternoon, but one thing that he's already informed Parliament of is the need to raise defense spending levels.
Trump said last month that NATO members should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, which would be a substantial increase from the current 2% goal and a level that no member nation has yet achieved.
"The truth is that U.S. presidents have been urging Europeans to raise their defense spending since Roosevelt," Lammy said on "Wake Up America." "President Trump, I think when he came to power, just four nations, the United Kingdom was amongst them, were spending the required 2%. America is spending 3.38%. So we are some way off 5% of spending. But the truth is, in these dangerous times, we should recall that during the Cold War, countries like our own were spending 7% of our GNI and upwards."
"This is a serious moment," Lammy added. "That's why Sir Keir Starmer was absolutely clear to Parliament this week that we would be raising defense spending. We do accept that there is more to do to keep our people safe, and of course, the United Kingdom has worked alongside the U.S. for decades to do that. And so, we will absolutely put our shoulder to the wheel."
Asked about the possibility of United States troops being drawn into a confrontation with Russia if U.S. forces were to serve as a backstop to European peacekeepers in Ukraine, Lammy said the U.K. will commit to boots on the ground if needed to bring peace to Eastern Europe.
"What we know is that Vladimir Putin has this voracious imperial desire to take over his neighbors, and he only responds to strength," Lammy said. "And I'm afraid this is a history. He's a KGB agent, let's remember that. He's a master of deflection and deception, and of course, he wants to rebuild the Soviet Union. You know, Russia only stopped its expansion to the east because of war with Japan in the last century. It only stopped its expansion to the south because of the Crimea War, and it is only NATO that has stopped its expansion to the west."
"So this does take strength, and those are the issues that we will be discussing with President Trump," he said. "But the truth is this is a very long border between Ukraine and Russia, I think it's 1,200 kilometers. … Technology will play its role, I think, in keeping the peace, but it will require troops, and the United Kingdom is absolutely clear that we will commit troops, if necessary, to keep the peace."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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