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LONDON — NATO’s chief predicted the U.K. will continue to “lead by example” on defense spending, even as Britain grapples with a crisis in its public finances.
Speaking to the press during a visit to No.10 Downing Street Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised new U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government over its “strong support” for the transatlantic alliance.
Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss committed to increase defense spending to 3 percent of GDP by 2030. But Sunak — whose government took office facing an economic crisis and a multi-billion pound black hole in the public finances — has not said whether he will stick to that pledge as his ministers seek savings.
Asked by POLITICO whether he felt reassured by the U.K.’s defense spending plans amid fears the government might need to scale back its commitments, Stoltenberg said he was “absolutely confident that the United Kingdom will continue to lead by example” on this area.
“The United Kingdom has led by example for many years when it comes to defense spending, spending more than 2 percent of GDP. More and more allies are now following the example of the United Kingdom,” he added.
Asked how concerned he was by growing fatigue in the West toward the war effort in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said opinion polls suggest NATO countries are ready to continue to provide support “for as long as it takes.” But he conceded there are “some voices that have different opinions,” a feature of democracies.
Earlier Wednesday, Stoltenberg was hosted by British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace at the Lydd army and training camp in Kent, where Ukrainian early recruits are being trained to fight in the war against Russia. During that visit, Stoltenberg said the U.K.’s scheme represents “an important example of how the United Kingdom is a highly valued NATO ally, making a real difference when it comes to providing training support to Ukraine.”
Source: Politico
