Former UK Leader Urges Europe To Reduce Defense Dependency On U.S., Warns That Trump May Not Be An 'Aberration'

Former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday that Europe should understand that changes in the U.S.-European security relationship are a permanent phenomenon, rather than a shift limited to the tenure of President Donald Trump.

"Europe has twice been caught asleep, failing to anticipate and prepare for predictable events. First, when Russia's attack on Ukraine exposed longstanding European weaknesses on defence and security, and second, when President Trump made clear, once and for all, that the U.S. will no longer bankroll our European security. We have to catch up," the former world leader said at an event hosted by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce in Dublin on Friday evening.

"A stronger Europe is vital and the UK must be at the heart of it ... we need to build up pan-European co-operation and co-ordination on defence and security – a common security framework as much as a common market," Starmer continued.

Tensions between Europe and the U.S. have risen under Trump's tenure, particularly on issues relating to security.

European defense spending has been a particularly prominent point of contention; Trump has urged European NATO members to increase their defense budgets to five percent of their GDP and thus, according to Trump, shoulder more of the financial burden that being a NATO member entails and stop American taxpayers from funding the sovereign defense of European nations.

In 2025, NATO members signed the "Hague Commitment," which saw the members of the alliance commit to increasing their total defense and security-related spending to five percent of national GDP.

Trump has also repeatedly expressed frustration with European countries over their perceived lack of military support for the U.S. war with Iran, Europe's supposed overreliance on the U.S. military for defense, and their resistance to his plans to increase U.S. control over, or downright annex, Greenland.

European troops were even deployed to Greenland at the height of tensions, although the nations which sent soldiers claimed that their deployment represented the strength of Europe's commitment to collective Arctic security.

Denmark, which retains overall sovereignty over Greenland, agreed a deal with the U.S. in September which, according to Trump, significantly increased U.S. military access to the Arctic territory.

In light of these kinds of developments, the Pentagon is reportedly considering withdrawing thousands of U.S. troops from European bases.

For their part, European governments have also largely deviated from Washington's security policies as they relate to Ukraine, electing to continue and even increase their military support for Kyiv as the White House grows closer to the Kremlin.

However, European leaders have largely avoided criticizing Trump directly over such policy differences.

Starmer, who stepped down very publicly from office this summer amidst tanking approval ratings, poor local election results and a large internal rebellion from MPs of his own governing Labour party, warned that these changes to the U.S.-Europe alliance may not be temporary.

"I will say here what I have said to European leaders. This is about responding to a permanent change of affairs, not an aberration of the Trump presidency. Things will not go back to the way they were before," Starmer cautioned.