Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to meet the U.S. call for increased defence spending and greater leadership on Ukraine and European security.
“You challenged us to step up on Ukraine, on defence spending, on European security. And I say to you that we have, we are, and we will further. And last week, the British prime minister announced the biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, and we will go further,” said Healey.
His visit to meet the U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth follows the UK’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, with a long-term goal of reaching 3 percent within the decade.
The meeting between Healey and Hegseth was their first since Hegseth’s trip to Europe last month, where he warned that European nations “can’t assume America’s presence will last forever.” U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Europe to increase defence spending.
Over the weekend, Britain hosted European leaders in London for a security summit, building on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington on Feb. 27.
“You saw that from Keir Starmer at the weekend, in the way that he is pulling the parties together, ensuring that we take Ukraine with us and work closely alongside the United States,” Healey said.
Healey also confirmed he would discuss with Hegseth the details of ongoing behind-the-scenes talks with European nations and Ukraine.
Britain has been pressing the United States to provide a security backstop for any future Ukraine peace deal. Starmer has assured that any decision to deploy British troops to Ukraine would require a parliamentary vote but emphasised that the situation is “nowhere near that stage.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that such a move would amount to “direct, official, and open involvement of NATO members in the war against Russia,” insisting that “it cannot be allowed.”
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Starmer said Trump made it “absolutely clear” that he supports NATO’s Article 5 commitment and assured that he would back Britain owing to the ties between their parties.
However, on Thursday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the United States would not defend NATO allies if they failed to meet their defence spending obligations.
“It’s common sense, right? If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them,” Trump said.
Ukraine’s Front Line
When asked about the possibility of Ukraine’s front line collapsing in the coming days and whether Britain or Europe would intervene, Healey dismissed any suggestion that Ukrainian forces would not continue to fight.“Nobody who has been to Ukraine, who has talked with Ukraine, who has worked with the Ukrainian leaders, or met the Ukrainian servicemen and women, or the civilians, believe that they will not fight, nor do I or the prime minister doubt that as President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy has said, they are ready to sign the important economic deal with the U.S. They are ready for a cease-fire,” he said.
Hegseth said that the United States is closely monitoring developments on the front line but reiterated that Washington’s primary focus is securing a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Addressing speculation about U.S. positioning, Hegseth dismissed claims that Washington’s approach was either pro- or anti-Russia.
Drones Deal
Ahead of the Pentagon meeting, the UK agreed a deal with the Anglo-American security firm Anduril to provide Ukraine with more advanced attack drones.Anduril will supply Kyiv with cutting-edge Altius 600m and Altius 700m drones, known as loitering munitions and designed to monitor an area before striking targets that enter it.
The new contracts total nearly £30 million and are backed by the International Fund for Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said. The fund has now reached over £1.3 billion in pledges from 10 countries, with the UK contributing £500 million.
Healey visited Anduril’s Washington facility on Wednesday, where he spoke with a number of American and British staff.
Since July 2024, the government has allocated more than £5.26 billion in military aid and financial support to Ukraine. This includes £3 billion in annual military assistance and a £2.26 billion loan for defence spending.
ReArm Europe
On Thursday, following the Special European Council meeting, which saw the bloc commit to strengthening European defences, Starmer spoke with EU leaders.He held a phone call with the leaders of Canada, Norway, Turkey, and Iceland, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Orban, in a letter to Costa, said there were “strategic differences in our approach to Ukraine that cannot be bridged.”
