Donald Trump has raised no concerns with me over defence spending at G7, Starmer claims as he insists he’s not been snubbed by US president
Just days after the defense secretary resigned, Sir Keir Starmer insisted Donald Trump had not raised any concerns about defense spending and accused him of being unwilling to commit sufficient resources to Britain’s struggling military.
Speaking at the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, the prime minister denied being rejected by the US president as it emerged the pair had not planned any bilateral meetings for Tuesday or Wednesday.
Sir Keir, who has had an increasingly strained relationship with Mr Trump in recent months, insisted the pair “get on really well”, adding that they had a “very honest and frank conversation” when they spent two hours together at a business lunch on Monday.
He also said he had not expressed any concerns about the US President’s newly announced plan to ban social media for those under 16, despite the Trump administration having previously urged the UK not to impose the policy.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly called on NATO allies to increase defense spending and threatened to withdraw from the alliance if they do not do their part.
But just days before Sir Keir was due to face the US president at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, John Healey stepped down over a dispute over defense funding, leaving the UK Ministry of Defense in chaos.
The Prime Minister has since suggested that no extra money would be allocated for defence.
Asked by Independent On whether Mr Trump used his talks at the G7 to raise concerns about defense spending or social media, and Sir Keir was concerned those two issues could further damage UK-US relations, the Prime Minister said: “No, no and no.”
He continued: “I sat next to Donald Trump for two hours at the G7 leaders-only dinner last night. There were no listening rooms, no staff, no advisors. It was literally an opportunity for all of us to have a very honest and frank conversation. It was a very productive session.”
“Yesterday it was mainly about Iran, which was the most important topic at dinner. This morning it was about Ukraine.”
He added: “Contrary to what I was told, it was actually a very constructive, very good discussion.
“I actually talked to Donald Trump on the Saturday before he came, we get along very well, and I talked to him on the phone on Saturday, last night and this morning, and we sit side by side, so you know there’s plenty of room for side conversations on the sidelines.”
He also denied being snubbed by Mr. Trump. Guard Mr Macron said Mr Zelensky and the US president had arrived late at a G7 meeting on Ukraine, fueling speculation that the trio were holding a meeting on the sidelines of the summit without Sir Keir.
Asked if he had been snubbed, Sir Keir said: “To be honest, we just spent two hours last night sitting next to each other and chatting to each other.
“On Saturday, I spoke to him on the phone for a long time, one-on-one, as we often do.
“I sat next to him this morning and discussed some things with him on the sidelines, and in five minutes we’re about to move on to another session where I sit next to him again.
“So we’ve been talking pretty constantly throughout this process, and it’s been some very productive, very good conversations.”
Asked if there would be more money for defence, the Prime Minister said: “I have taken the decision to reallocate the money from other departments. Obviously the new defense minister will also come.” [Dan Jarvis] “We’re reading it and talking to him about how and what we’re going to spend that money on from a talent standpoint.”
This came despite Mr Healey’s damning assessment that, with just £10bn allocated, the amount of extra cash available was a tiny fraction of what was needed.
The Prime Minister also told reporters that there was a “change of mood” in Ukraine, saying that “there is a real perception that things are changing and that Ukraine is not taking territory as it has been in the last few months, rather than defending it.”
Britain on Tuesday announced new sanctions on Russian shadow fleet ships as part of an attempt to stifle Vladimir Putin’s war effort while boosting Ukraine’s nuclear energy infrastructure with a £210 million export financing package.
Announcing his plans while coming to France for the G7 summit, the prime minister warned that Putin’s “aggression threatens not only the security of Ukraine but the security of all Europe.”
