Defence secretary John Healey has insisted the US remains “absolutely locked into” Nato, despite Donald Trump’s scathing criticism of the alliance.
The US president unleashed yet another social media rant criticising Nato on Wednesday evening, accusing them of not being “there when we needed them”.
His latest in a string of critical remarks about Nato came after he met with secretary general Mark Rutte, where the White House said Trump planned to have a “a very frank and candid” conversation about his frustrations with the alliance.
But speaking on Friday amid increasingly fractured relations between the UK and US, Mr Healey said it would be better to “focus on our actions” rather than Mr Trump’s social media posts.
Insisting the US remains committed to Nato, he said: “You know, if we focus on our actions, rather than just simply the exchange of words and social media posts, then the fundamentals for me remain that America is absolutely locked into - with benefits as well as massive contributions - to Nato.”
He told the London Defence Conference: “We have to do more – we are, and we will – on the European side. And there are, there are deep values that our nations share, that in the end, will see us through the ups and downs of the political cycles, as as they have done both sides of Atlantic in previous decades.”
Trump embarked on another online rant targeting the alliance on Wednesday evening following his meeting with the Nato general secretary.
"NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
At a White House briefing before the meeting, his press secretary told reporters that Mr Trump "has discussed" pulling out of Nato.
Speaking on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer said European allies need to do more in Nato after Mr Trump ramped up threats to leave the alliance.
“We’re very strong supporters of Nato and I’ve been making the argument for some considerable time that we need to do more,” he said.
“It’s the single most effective military alliance the world has ever known. Do we Europeans need to do more? Yes, I’ve been making that argument for the best part of two years, to our European partners as much as anybody else. We continue to make that case and we will make that case.”
He added: “It is in America’s interests, it’s in European interests. Nato is a defensive alliance, which for decades has kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been.”
Strains on the alliance have been highlighted by the response to the US president’s war on Iran, which has prompted an economic shock felt around the globe.
The US president has previously raised the possibility of the US quitting Nato, branding it a “paper tiger”.
He has raised issue with the contributions paid in by fellow Nato members, arguing that the US has been carrying other countries financially.
Asked whether Mr Trump’s position represents a longer-term shift in the relationship, Mr Healey said on Friday: “I think this is a long term shift where Europe has to recognise that we've got to do more of the heavy lifting for our own security and within Nato.”
The relationship between Downing Street and the White House has come under particular pressure, following a barrage of scathing remarks made by the US president in response to the UK’s refusal to become involved in his offensive operations.
In a recent jibe, Mr Trump likened Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain at a White House Easter event on Monday, telling reporters the UK had “a long way to go”.
Sir Keir spoke to Mr Trump about the need for a “practical plan” to get shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the Middle East ceasefire on Thursday evening.
The call between the leaders came shortly after the prime minister criticised the US President over the knock-on effects of the Iran conflict, saying he was “fed up” with bills going up in the UK “because of the actions of Putin or Trump”.
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