BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 14. Europe must take primary responsibility for its own defense, Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer said at the Munich Security Conference, Trend reports.
“There is no British security without Europe and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history and is today's reality as well. So together we must rise to this moment. We must spend more, deliver more and coordinate more. And crucially, we must do this with the United States”, he said.
Starmer noted that US contribution to European security over 80 years is unparalleled.
“We recognize that things are changing. The US national security strategy spells out that Europe must take primary responsibility for its own defense. That is the new normal. There have been a series of thoughtful interventions about what this means, including the argument that we are at a moment of rupture”, he said.
Starmer noted that the world has changed fundamentally.
“But in responding to that change, we must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last 80 years. That could prove to be a moment of destruction. But instead, I believe, we must make this a moment of creation. Instead of a moment of rupture, we must make it one of radical renewal. So rather than pretending that we can simply replace all US capabilities, we should focus on diversifying and decreasing some dependencies. We should deliver generational investments that move us from over-dependence to interdependence. I am talking about a vision of European security and greater European autonomy that does not herald US withdrawal but answers the call for more burden sharing in full and remakes the ties that have served us so well”, he said.