LONDON (dpa-AFX) - A day before flying to the U.S., UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027.
That is an increase of £13.4 billion, or $16.95 billion, year on year.
Starmer said he announced the biggest sustained increase in the nation's defense spending since the end of the Cold War because 'tyrants like Putin only respond to strength'.
'Unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin, Europe will only become more unstable - and that will hurt us even more,' he told the House of Commons Tuesday.
'We will make sure this investment maximizes British jobs, British growth, British skills and British innovation'.
Starmer said that to fund the initial increase in defense spending, he has decided to cut spending on foreign aid from 0.5 percent of GNI to 0.3 percent.
Starmer added that subject to economic and fiscal conditions, his government will also set a clear ambition for Defense spending to rise to 3 percent of GDP during the next session of Parliament.
Keir will take questions in the Commons on Wednesday before flying to Washington for a crucial meeting with President Donald Trump.
Trump had recently urged NATO member nations to increase their share of defense spending to take care of Europe's security in the future.
'President Trump thinks we should do more, and I agree with him. It chimes with my thinking on this,' Starmer told reporters at a press conference later on Tuesday.
Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2025 AFX News
