NYT reports: UK PM Starmer says Trump has a point on European defence commitment

23/3/2025 14:06

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said U.S. President Donald Trump has a point that European countries must bear a greater burden for their collective self-defence, the New York Times said on Sunday.



Starmer told the newspaper in an interview, "We need to think about defence and security in a more immediate way."



The report said, Starmer is trying to assemble a multinational military force that he calls a coalition of the willing to keep Ukraine's skies, ports and borders secure after any peace settlement.



On Trump, Starmer said, "On a person-to-person basis, I think we have a good relationship." But, he said, the U.S. leader's actions, from imposing a 25% tariff on British steel to berating President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, had generated "quite a degree of disorientation".