Nato is committed to supporting Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has insisted, despite no condemnation of Russia’s invasion in a joint statement from the alliance’s chiefs.
The position among the alliance has “not changed on Ukraine”, the Prime Minister said.
A communique released on Wednesday after a meeting of leaders in the Hague refers to Nato’s unity “in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security”.
It also reaffirms support for Ukraine, but does not explicitly condemn the Russian invasion.
Donald Trump has taken a softer approach towards Russian leader Vladimir Putin than other Western leaders in his fraught attempts to negotiate an end to the war, leading to speculation that is why explicit criticism of the invasion did not feature in the communique.
Asked if Mr Trump did not want Nato to condemn his Russian counterpart in the summit’s concluding statement, Sir Keir said: “On the question of Ukraine, the position in Nato has not changed, nor has my position changed.
“In fact, over the last couple of days, I would say in my discussions with leaders, there’s been a real resolve that now is the time to push again to get Putin to the table for the unconditional ceasefire.”
The communique also referred to every Nato member state’s “ironclad commitment to collective defence”, enshrined in Nato’s Article 5.
This commits all members of the alliance to come to the defence of each other if attacked.
Allies have signed up to spend 5% of their economic output on defence, comprising 3.5% spending on core defence by 2035, and 1.5% on security and resilience measures.
Sir Keir said the UK was on track to spend 4.1% of GDP on defence by 2027, based on this definition, a figure largely boosted by spending towards the 1.5% commitment.
The Government is seeking to characterise the outcome of the summit as positive and purposeful.
As he travelled to the summit earlier this week, Mr Trump had appeared to pour cold water on America’s commitment to the collective defence of Nato allies.
He told reporters on the flight from Washington that it would depend “on your definition” of Article 5, when asked if he would commit to collective defence.
But speaking to broadcasters on the way into the summit, the Prime Minister said allies were “absolutely committed to the importance of Nato, particularly in a very volatile world”.
And before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Sir Keir appeared to be in deep conversation with Mr Trump.
Sir Keir’s message was repeated by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who opened the summit meeting with the words: “Our joint commitment to Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all, sends a powerful message.”
Standing next to Mr Trump, the secretary-general praised the US president for bringing about a commitment from the alliance to spend 5% of GDP on defence, telling him: “You made this possible.”
Earlier, Mr Rutte had described the US president as “a man of strength” as well as a “man of peace”, praising him for securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Mr Trump also compared Israel and Iran to “two kids in a school yard” fighting.
“They fight like hell. You can’t stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes. Then it’s easier to stop them,” he said.
Mr Rutte then appeared to compare Mr Trump to a “daddy” figure to the warring Middle Eastern parties.
“Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” the secretary-general said.
Alongside the commitment to increase defence spending, the UK has also announced its intention to purchase 12 new fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Billed as “the biggest strengthening” of Britain’s nuclear posture “in a generation”, the move will see the jets committed to a Nato mission that would see US nuclear bombs fitted to allied aircraft.
It follows a recommendation from the strategic defence review, published earlier in June, to begin negotiations with the US and Nato on joining the alliance’s nuclear mission.
