Foreign Secretary David Lammy declared the UK and its allies were “united alongside Ukraine” as he travelled to a NATO meeting in Turkey, where Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to hold peace talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Mr Lammy said NATO was working to “bring this barbaric war to an end”.
But the future of the alliance will also be on the agenda, as foreign ministers from member states gather for an informal meeting in the Turkish city of Antalya. Ukraine’s Mr Zelensky said he was ready to take part in face-to-face peace talks with the Russian leader in Istanbul, in a bid to end the three-year war. However, it is not clear whether Putin will make an appearance. Moscow has said only that a “delegation” will take part.
Donald Trump suggested he could also travel to Turkey, telling journalists that Putin wanted him to take part in peace talks. Speaking to journalists aboard his Air Force One plane, the US president said: “He’d like me to be there, and that’s a possibility … I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out.”
Mr Lammy said: “Today, President Zelensky is in Turkey in a further demonstration of his commitment to peace, ready to enter talks direct with Russia and continuing to push for a full ceasefire as a first crucial step.
“As myself and my fellow NATO allies also travel to Turkey, we are united alongside Ukraine in our determination to secure a just and lasting peace. We are working to deliver more for our collective security and bring this barbaric war to an end.”
Stressing the continued importance of NATO, he said: “Euro-Atlantic security is the foundation of our Plan for Change. Without the security NATO provides, we cannot deliver the growth and prosperity the British people deserve.”
But Mr Lammy will warn fellow foreign ministers that Europe must shoulder more responsibility for its own security rather than depending on the US, as threats from Russia and its allies continue to mount. He will say that every step NATO takes to increase pressure on Russia and achieve peace in Ukraine is another step towards security and prosperity at home and abroad, and highlight the case of six spies working for Russia who were sentenced by a UK court this week.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also in Turkey, is expected to highlight Mr Trump’s view that America’s NATO allies must “contribute their fair share to making NATO stronger and more effective”.
NATO members committed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence per year by 2024, and 23 of the 32 members are expected to have achieved this. The UK spends 2.3% and plans to increase the figure to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027.
However, most continue to contribute significantly less as a proportion of their economies than the US, which spends 3.4% on defence. A new spending target is to be set at a summit in The Hague on June 25.
Labour MP Matt Western, who leads Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, said the UK cannot afford to adopt an “ostrich strategy” as the US withdraws from guaranteeing European security.
He called for “a clear-eyed consideration of scenarios in which US assistance may be less forthcoming than previously expected”.