- The Foreign Secretary will emphasise NATO’s unwavering support for Ukraine at a meeting of the Alliance’s Foreign Ministers in Brussels.
- David Cameron will encourage Allies to spend more, produce more and deliver more on defence in the face of continued Russian aggression and growing threats to international stability.
- NATO is stronger, more united and more important than ever as it celebrates its 75th anniversary and welcomes its 32nd member, Sweden.
This year marks 10 years since Allies committed to invest at least 2% of their GDP on defence spending at the NATO Summit in Wales. At an event jointly hosted with the Royal United Services Institute, the Foreign Secretary will celebrate NATO’s progress since 2014 in a speech that will encourage Allies to spend more on defence, step up support for Ukraine and ramp up defence industrial production. As NATO rises to face the challenges of a more unstable world, the UK is deepening its partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea, who will join the meeting. NATO will continue to strengthen its longstanding relationship with the EU who will attend the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to engage with NATO on shared challenges. Allies need to step up and spend more on defence in the face of continued Russian aggression and a more dangerous world. The Foreign Secretary will reinforce that NATO has never been stronger, more united or more relevant than it is today when he travels to the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today (3rd April) as the Alliance celebrates 75 years since its founding. With Ukraine closer to NATO than ever, we must sustain the critical support Ukraine needs to win the war.
Since the establishment of NATO in on 4th April 1949, NATO has had British DNA, with its first headquarters in London and its first Secretary General British. NATO remains the bedrock of UK defence: the UK contributes to every single NATO mission and commits almost all of its armed forces to protecting the 1 billion people across every inch of Allied territory. David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary said: All Allies agree that Ukraine will join NATO and the UK will continue work to ensure that it continues to take meaningful steps towards membership.
As Russia continues to wage its illegal war against Ukraine, Lord Cameron will underline the need to sustain support for Ukraine, which is closer to NATO than ever. He will encourage NATO Allies to sign up to British-led initiatives to buy NATO standard missiles and munitions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 75 years after its creation, we are celebrating a NATO that has never been stronger or more important, especially following Sweden’s accession last month. The Foreign Secretary will welcome Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström to the NATO family following Sweden’s historic accession to the Alliance last month. Sweden chose to break 200 years of neutrality in response to Russia’s aggression, showing the Alliance will only grow stronger in the pursuit of collective defence in the Euro-Atlantic.
