Russia is advancing on a key city in northeast Ukraine. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy says the risk of escalation in the war has “gone way up” after Kyiv’s bomber attack. Follow the latest below and watch below as defence ministers gather at NATO HQ in Brussels.
US demands UK and NATO allies spend 5% of GDP on defence ‘starting now’
By Katy Scholes, security and defence producer in Brussels
The United States says the UK and all other NATO allies must agree to spend at least 5% of national income on defence and security “starting now”.
Matthew Whitaker, Donald Trump’s ambassador to the NATO alliance, said: “Let me cut to the core of our message: 5%.”
He continued: “Peace through strength means nothing less and it demands it equally from all allies. This is not going to be just a pledge. This is going to be a commitment. Every ally must commit to investing at least 5% of GDP in defence and security, starting now.”
The warning comes after Sky News revealed yesterday that Sir Keir Starmer would be forced to agree to lift pure defence spending to 3.5% of GDP and spend a further 1.5% on defence-related areas by the 2030s as part of a NATO push to rearm and to keep the US on side.
Yet as late as Monday, the prime minister was still talking merely about an “ambition” to increase investment in his armed forces to 3% from 2.3% by 2034 – even as he launched a major review of defence.
The position caused bemusement inside the Ministry of Defence where officials believe it is inevitable that the UK position will change.
The US ambassador was speaking to journalists ahead of two days of meetings of defence ministers at NATO HQ in Brussels, the last before NATO leaders meet at a summit in The Hague later this month.
“The Hague summit will be a moment to lock these commitments in,” he said.
The 5% defence spending commitment is central to US plans for the summit, with European leaders hoping also to secure support for Ukraine and a reinforces posture towards Russia in summit conclusions.
Underlining the weight of expectation of the US administration, the ambassador said: “This is not a suggestion. It’s a baseline for deterrence.”
