Ex-British PM Asserts: 'No alternative to NATO'
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on European nations to boost their defense budgets, stating that Europeans should not be “deluded” into believing there is an alternative “defense pillar” to NATO. In an article published in...
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Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on European nations to boost their defense budgets, stating that Europeans should not be “deluded” into believing there is an alternative “defense pillar” to NATO. In an article published in the Daily Mail on Friday, he stressed the need for increased funding for defense across European countries.
This week, the Atlantic reported on remarks made by US Vice President J. D. Vance during a conversation on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where he expressed frustration about “bailing out Europe again” by intervening militarily against Houthi rebels to safeguard European trade. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also criticized what he described as “pathetic European free-loading.”
Johnson highlighted the disparity in defense spending, noting that “the US defense budget is the thick end of a trillion dollars a year, more than 12 times the UK defense budget, even though the US population is only about five times bigger than ours.” He pointed out that “the US allocates about 3.5 per cent of its GDP to defense while the UK spends about 2.3 per cent.”
Leading up to his presidency in January, US President Donald Trump urged European NATO allies to increase their military spending to 5% of GDP. Following this, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a plan for British defense spending to rise to 2.5% by 2027, which is three years ahead of the previous schedule. Meanwhile, EU countries have been developing their own defense strategy to reduce their security dependence on the United States.
In his commentary for the Mail, Johnson expressed skepticism about finding a viable replacement for America’s role in Europe, arguing, “We must not be deluded into thinking we can create some European alternative defence pillar, as a substitute for NATO. Who would lead such a thing? France? Britain? Germany? You only have to ask the question to see the problem.” He acknowledged the recent defense budget increase in London but remarked that it is “only a start, and nothing like enough.”
Johnson asserted that America should remain “the hegemonic power of the Western world” to advocate for “freedom and democracy, especially in Ukraine.” According to officials in Kiev, it was Johnson, while still in office, who encouraged Ukraine to continue its resistance and disrupted peace negotiations with Moscow in 2022. This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin referenced that moment, stating that “Western handlers... arrived and persuaded the Ukrainian leadership to continue armed resistance to the end, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.” Currently, Moscow and Washington are engaged in discussions aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
This week, the Atlantic reported on remarks made by US Vice President J. D. Vance during a conversation on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where he expressed frustration about “bailing out Europe again” by intervening militarily against Houthi rebels to safeguard European trade. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also criticized what he described as “pathetic European free-loading.”
Johnson highlighted the disparity in defense spending, noting that “the US defense budget is the thick end of a trillion dollars a year, more than 12 times the UK defense budget, even though the US population is only about five times bigger than ours.” He pointed out that “the US allocates about 3.5 per cent of its GDP to defense while the UK spends about 2.3 per cent.”
Leading up to his presidency in January, US President Donald Trump urged European NATO allies to increase their military spending to 5% of GDP. Following this, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a plan for British defense spending to rise to 2.5% by 2027, which is three years ahead of the previous schedule. Meanwhile, EU countries have been developing their own defense strategy to reduce their security dependence on the United States.
In his commentary for the Mail, Johnson expressed skepticism about finding a viable replacement for America’s role in Europe, arguing, “We must not be deluded into thinking we can create some European alternative defence pillar, as a substitute for NATO. Who would lead such a thing? France? Britain? Germany? You only have to ask the question to see the problem.” He acknowledged the recent defense budget increase in London but remarked that it is “only a start, and nothing like enough.”
Johnson asserted that America should remain “the hegemonic power of the Western world” to advocate for “freedom and democracy, especially in Ukraine.” According to officials in Kiev, it was Johnson, while still in office, who encouraged Ukraine to continue its resistance and disrupted peace negotiations with Moscow in 2022. This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin referenced that moment, stating that “Western handlers... arrived and persuaded the Ukrainian leadership to continue armed resistance to the end, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.” Currently, Moscow and Washington are engaged in discussions aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
