Keir Starmer to deploy UK warships to the Arctic following Trump’s Greenland threats and says Europe must be ready to fight
Sir Keir Starmer said Europe must be ready to “fight” against Russian aggression, announcing that the UK will deploy warships and warplanes to the Arctic later this year.
The move, announced at the Munich Security Conference, will be seen as an attempt to appease Donald Trump, who has threatened to annex Greenland, citing security concerns in the region.
But even as the Prime Minister welcomed what he said would be a showcase of the transatlantic relationship, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the continent’s leaders of a “malaise of despair” and said the US needed a partner with the “will to survive”.
This came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at the United States, saying his country had been asked to make concessions to Russia “too often” in US-brokered peace talks and that Europe had been pushed aside.
During an eventful day at the summit:
- Sir Keir scolded President Trump and said he should “be in no doubt – the UK will come to your aid today if called”.
- The Prime Minister said that Britain should be in closer harmony with the EU in the field of economy and defense, and received great applause with his words: “We are no longer the Britain of the Brexit years.”
- He attacked Reformation as “pro-Putin” and said Nigel Farage’s party and the Greens presented a future of “division followed by capitulation” that would see “the lamps go out in Europe once again”.
- Sir Keir denied that he had “very narrowly missed” the ouster and said he had finished this week “much stronger than when I started and it’s a very good place to be”.
Speaking at the event on Saturday morning, Sir Keir said leaders should not hesitate because “Russia has proven its appetite for aggression”. He warned that even if there was a peace deal for Ukraine, Russia’s rearmament would “only accelerate.”
“We must respond fully to this threat,” he said. “The road ahead is straight and open. We must build our hard power because that is the currency of the age. We must be able to deter aggression and, yes, be ready to fight if necessary.”
Announcing the planned deployment of warships, the prime minister said that the United States, Canada and other NATO allies would join Britain in increasing security in the region known as the North.
Mr Trump claimed Europe was not doing enough to defend Greenland, which is strategically important to the US, despite threats from Russia and China.
During his speech, Sir Keir also lashed out at Mr Trump’s claims that he was unsure whether other NATO allies would come to the US’s defence.
Article 5, one of the founding principles of the alliance, states that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all NATO members. It was used only once, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York.
“Rest assured that the United Kingdom will come to your aid today if called upon,” he told the US president.
As the world approaches the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine later this month, Sir Keir said the UK understood the “urgency” of the need to establish closer defense ties with the EU.
In a move likely to infuriate Brexiteers in the country, he also said Britain should move towards “deeper economic integration” with the EU, aiming to “get closer to the single market” in a range of sectors. As he tried to turn down Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar’s offer to sack him last week, he insisted his cabinet was fully on board and said he was “ending the week much stronger than I started it”.
His speech came less than an hour after Mr. Rubio, who warned Europe that the United States does not want to be the gatekeeper of the West’s “decline.” The US Secretary of State criticized countries that he said spent not enough on defense, too much on welfare, appeased a climate “cult” to their own economic detriment, allowed too much immigration and failed to defend their own history, saying this was a “resentment of despair and indifference”.
But Mr Zelensky also attacked the US, saying: “Americans often turn to the issue of concessions, and these concessions are most often discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not in the context of Russia.”
Mr. Zelensky said he hoped the United States would continue to be involved in the talks and that Europe would have the opportunity to play a larger role.
“Europe is practically not on the table. In my opinion, this is a big mistake,” he said.
