British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a new interview that President Trump “has a point” on the need for Europe to bear a greater defense burden.
He maintained, however, that he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the U.S. seeks to move forward with brokering a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.
“Many people are urging us to choose between the U.S. and Europe,” Starmer told The New York Times, in an interview published Sunday. “Churchill didn’t do it. Attlee didn’t do it. It’d be a big mistake, in my view, to choose now.”
After pausing for a moment, he added, “I do think that President Trump has a point when he says there needs to be a greater burden borne by European countries for the collective self-defense of Europe.”
Starmer has sought to play a leading role on the international stage in recent weeks, amid uncertainty over the American relationship with Ukraine and Russia. Starmer convened meetings of what he has termed the “coalition of the willing,” as a means of helping Ukraine.
Even as Trump has signaled a softer approach to Putin, Starmer has remained firm against the Russian leader while maintaining his support for a strong alliance between the UK and U.S.
“I don’t trust Putin,” Starmer told the Times. “I’m sure Putin would try to insist that Ukraine should be defenseless after a deal because that gives him what he wants, which is the opportunity to go in again.”
