London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK Defence Minister John Healey said on Monday that he expects the new administration of Donald Trump to remain committed to NATO and Ukraine.
Asked whether support for Ukraine had declined following Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election last week,
Healey told Sky News,
“As far as President Trump goes, he recognises that countries get security through strength, just as alliances like NATO do.”
He added
“And I expect the U.S. to remain alongside allies like the UK, standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes to prevail over (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invasion.”
John said that the US commitment to NATO would remain strong under the Donald Trump administration and that he believes there is no reason for Trump to discontinue support during his second term. He said he has long advocated for European nations to contribute more significantly to defence spending.
He said “I don’t expect the U.S. to turn away from NATO. They recognise the importance of the alliance. They recognise the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.”
In the past, Donald Trump has consistently criticized NATO and complained that the US bears an excessive financial burden while European nations contribute less to defence spending.
During his presidential election campaigns, he said that the US would only assist in defending NATO members against a potential Russian attack if they fulfilled their defence spending commitments.
NATO members vowed to dedicate a minimum of 2% of their GDP to defence with a deadline of 2024 and 23 out of the 32 countries are on track to fulfill this target by the end of the year.
A European country, Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine and Russia’s Kaliningrad, ranks first in defence spending at 4.1% of GDP, while Estonia is second with 3.4%, and the US is in third place, also at 3.4%.
The UK ranked ninth on the list, with defence spending totalling 2.3% of GDP, under the previous Conservative government.
Defence Minister John Healey confirmed that his government has pledged to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, but he did not provide a clear timeline for achieving this goal.
He stated that Labour is taking steps to fulfill their promise by increasing defence spending by £3bn in the coming year.
“That’s a sign of a government that recognises the first duty of any government is to defend the country and keep our citizens safe” he added.
According to The Washington Post and Reuters, newly elected President Trump contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin following his victory and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, while the Kremlin denied the claim of the call on Monday.
Different sources familiar with the call told them that President-elect Trump highlighted the substantial US military presence in Europe to President Putin and discussed efforts to bring peace across the continent.
Healey also told BBC Breakfast “We’ll have to wait and see what President Trump really proposes … but if the reports of his call with [Vladimir] Putin last week are right then President Trump is exactly right to warn Putin against escalation of the conflict in Ukraine”.