Wes Streeting says Europe will thank Trump for NATO self-reliance
Trump says NATO allies are having a ‘bad moment’ for not helping potential Iran war
Speaking at the NATO Summit held in Ankara, President Donald Trump criticized Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom for not offering immediate support to the United States in a possible conflict with Iran. Trump described their reaction as a “bad moment” but later emphasized the “tremendous unity” between NATO members, expressing mutual love and respect.
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Europe will eventually thank President Donald Trump for waking the continent out of its complacency and forcing NATO allies to take responsibility for their own security, Britain’s new defense minister said on Sunday.
Speaking to Sky News, Wes Streeting stated that while the British government signaled that its transatlantic stance was being rebalanced under the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Britain continued to refuse to support the US military offensive against Iran.
“The first thing you do is you don’t suck and… my impression is that President Trump and his administration… that’s not really what they’re looking for,” Streeting told Sky News host Trevor Phillips, giving his perspective on Washington.
“He’s a straight talker. He says what he means and means what he means.”
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British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Europe will one day thank President Donald Trump for snapping Europe out of its strategic complacency and pushing NATO allies to shoulder more of their own defence. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
“I don’t know him, but I trust the United States,” he added.
Streeting took charge of the UK Ministry of Defense on 20 July, the same day Burnham became prime minister.
Streeting said: “I haven’t been in this job even a week. I’ve always known that the alliance between the US and the UK is like no other alliance in the world, and that is of course historical, cultural and political.” he said. “This is driven by mutual mutual interests as well as personal interests.”
During his first week in office, Streeting also met with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to discuss maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and broader NATO commitments.
“But in my first week as defense secretary, I have gained a unique understanding of how close and integral that relationship is when it comes to defense and security,” Streeting said.
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Streeting said he was “very willing and pleased” to meet with his American counterpart, War Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“And that’s one of the reasons why I was so eager and pleased to meet with my US counterpart Pete Hegseth in the first week, where I was clear that we do not support offensive action in Iran and we will not support offensive action in Iran,” he continued. “But there are many things we can and must do together to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz, to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons, and to invest in our and NATO’s capabilities.”
Trump has long criticized European NATO members for not spending enough on defense and argues that they should shoulder a larger share of the alliance’s security burden.
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“And one of the things I would say about President Trump in particular is … we don’t always like what he says. We don’t always like his methods,” Streeting said. (Stoyan Nenov/Reuters)
At the NATO summit in Türkiye in July, Trump pressured allies to honor their commitments to increase defense spending.
“And one of the things I would say specifically about President Trump: We don’t always like what he says, we don’t always like his methods,” Streeting said. “But when this period of history is written, I think Europe will thank President Trump for saving us from our complacency and forcing us to stand on our own two feet and end the era of over-reliance on the United States for defense, because what he said about Europe is not specific to President Trump, the MAGA movement or the Republican Party.”
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“This is an example of the United States’ long-standing disappointment with Europe under Democratic and Republican presidents, and it is right that we can take action to secure ourselves in the world we live in,” he added.
Streeting also said the UK could “act together with our allies in Europe and of course work with the US without being as overly dependent on NATO and Europe as they are”.
Fox News Digital has reached out to 10 Downing Street for further comment.
