Rishi Sunak, is heading to the NATO summit in Lithuania with a renewed call to all alliance members to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defence.
Sunak will tell the allies in Vilnius that plans to make NATO forces “deadlier and more deployable” begin with “meeting the 2% commitment.”
Downing Street said that last year, less than half of the countries in the alliance met the expenditure target relative to their national GDP, a measure of economic health, with nine out of the 30 members spending at least 2%.
While this is expected to rise to two-thirds of the allies by 2024, the 10th anniversary of the goal set during the Wales summit, government sources said Sunak hoped to leave Eastern Europe on Wednesday with a plan ready for all members to start meeting the target.
No 10 said the Prime Minister will travel to Vilnius with the dual message of strengthening NATO and emphasizing the need to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against the invading Russian forces.
Ahead of his trip, Sunak said, “When thousands of Russian troops crossed the border in February last year, it marked a grim new chapter in the history of Europe and NATO.
“In the 500 days since, we have witnessed the most horrific crimes and human tragedies in Ukraine.
“But we have also seen how the NATO alliance has united like never before to support Ukraine, with a firm conviction that Russia must not succeed.
“That work must continue this week. We must not let the fog of war cloud the clear lessons our alliance must learn if we are to outmatch and outmaneuver those who seek to harm us.
“That’s why the UK is investing record amounts in defence, to make our armed forces deadlier and more deployable and to prepare our defence industry for the challenges ahead.
“And that is something we need to see across NATO, starting with meeting the 2% commitment.”
In a sign that Sunak wants the UK to take the lead, the Ministry of Defence will publish a new command document outlining the measures the UK is taking to enhance the “lethality and deployability of our own armed forces,” according to No 10.
The document will include plans to establish a new Global Response Force, which defence chiefs hope will significantly enhance the ability to respond physically to crises in the short term, either by already being present or by deploying faster.
Other topics expected to dominate the two-day meeting in the Lithuanian capital include Sweden’s accession to NATO, agreement on how Ukraine can eventually become a member of the alliance, and the US offer to supply cluster bombs to Kyiv.
The Telegraph reported that Britain, the US, France, and Germany are planning to offer the war-torn country “Israel-like” security guarantees.
The arrangement, which would include commitments for military support and intelligence sharing, is expected to be finalized in Kiev in the coming days and could be offered as a stepping stone to membership, according to the newspaper.
Sweden and Finland have abandoned their long-held policies of neutrality following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine last year and have indicated their desire to join NATO.
Finland joined in April, but objections from Turkey have delayed Stockholm’s accession, although there appeared to be a breakthrough on the eve of the summit.
The accession of the Scandinavian nation came closer on Monday when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to submit the accession protocol to parliament “as soon as possible” in exchange for assistance in reviving Ankara’s own prospects for EU membership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expected in Vilnius on Wednesday, has been lobbying in the past week to have his war-torn country admitted to NATO.
During a visit to Prague, he said that the “ideal” outcome of the summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.
A spokesperson for Sunak emphasized that, as the British leader has previously stated, he believes Ukraine “deserves a place in NATO.”
However, as membership is unlikely to be granted while the fight against Moscow continues—the troops of Zelensky are currently engaged in counter-offensive operations—Sunak will insist that NATO provides long-term security assistance to Kiev to “ensure they can win the war,” according to his spokesperson.
A diplomatic battle is expected over the wording of the statement issued after the summit regarding the pace at which Kiev could be admitted, with London calling for expediting Kiev’s membership.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary of the Labour Party, said he wanted the UK to show leadership in Vilnius in “strengthening support for Ukraine.”
He said, “If British military support for Ukraine is accelerated, it will have the full support of Labour.”
Sunak welcomed Joe Biden to No. 10 on Monday as the US president made a stopover in the UK on his way to the summit. Biden said the transatlantic relationship is “rock solid,” while Sunak praised the US and the UK as “two of the strongest allies” in NATO.
However, the issue of support for Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations and the US decision to provide cluster munitions to Kiev are signs that Westminster and Washington are not entirely aligned.
Britain “discourages” their use as one of the 123 signatories to a convention that prohibits the weapons.
Separately, the leader of the Conservative Party, Sunak, will use the first day of his trip to confirm an eightfold increase in British production capacity of 155mm artillery ammunition, according to No 10 officials.
As most NATO armies use this ammunition as standard, a new BAE Systems contract worth £190 million is expected to lead to the production of more artillery shells for use by the UK and other allied forces.
No 10 said the deal would create over 100 jobs in BAE Systems PLC facilities in northern England and South Wales, in addition to the existing workforce of 1,200 ammunition workers in the UK.
