A cross-party group of MPs from the Commons defense committee was on a visit to Finland and Estonia when Trump’s remarks landed.
Labour MP Fred Thomas, who serves on the committee, said that the message from Eastern European allies was that they want to see British leadership. “They’d like to see us step forward to build a consensus across Europe” by reaching out to countries such as Italy and Spain which spend less on defense, he said.
He argued the early role played by the U.K. in supporting Ukraine in 2022 “makes us uniquely placed to play a leadership role” and “perform leadership functions that we have not done for some time, bringing leaders together, using diplomatic means to help other countries come to our way of thinking.”
The official from the Ministry of Defense quoted above echoed this, saying the U.K. sees itself as “a leader in NATO and a leader in Europe” and insisted it is prepared to “lead by example” on defense spending.
A diplomat from a Central European country added it was “now even more important” for the U.K. to “act as a bridge” between higher and lower spending nations.
If some might balk at the idea of the U.K. taking on greater diplomatic responsibilities in Europe, others spy an opportunity — arguing that the U.S. change in tack makes the prospect of a U.K.-EU defense pact all the more urgent and feasible.
As Chatham House’s Messmer points out, Britain now has a role to play in spelling out what European defense looks like with the U.S. taking a back seat.
“The biggest concern is that that would be seen essentially as a sign for Russia to do more and to go farther, because they don’t have to worry about the U.S.,” she said.
