UK Prime Minister On Saturday warned that Europe must urgently rearm and reduce its overreliance on the United States, declaring that the “ground of peace” is “softening under our feet” amid growing threats from Russia.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he called for a “more European NATO,” deeper UK-EU defence ties and significantly higher military spending, while maintaining that the US remains “an indispensable power.”
Starmer said Europe must move “from over-dependence to interdependence,” strengthen its industrial and military coordination, and confront political forces “soft on Russia” and “weak on NATO.”
“There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain,” he said, urging allies to “spend more, deliver more, and coordinate more” to safeguard democracy and stability.
Time and again, leaders have looked the other way, only re-arming when disaster is upon them. This time, it must be different. Because all of the warning signs are there.
Russia has proved its appetite for aggression, bringing terrible suffering to the Ukrainian people.
Its hyper-threats extend across our continent, not just threatening our security, but tearing at our social order.
Collaborating with populists to undermine our values. Using disinformation to sow division. Using cyber-attacks and sabotage to disrupt our lives and deepening the cost-of-living crisis.
It is true that Russia has made a huge strategic blunder in Ukraine, and the Russian casualties number well over a million. But even as the war goes on, Russia is re-arming, reconstituting their armed forces, an industrial base.
NATO has warned that Russia could be ready to use military force against the Alliance by the end of this decade. In the event of a peace deal in Ukraine, which we are all working hard to achieve, Russia’s re-armament would only accelerate.
The wider danger to Europe would not end there. It would increase. So we must answer this threat in full.
