PM says mark will be reached by end of decade as UK needs to adapt to more dangerous world
Boris Johnson has said the UK will spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by the end of this decade, after a cabinet row over defence spending and claims the government would ditch a key manifesto commitment on the issue.conference in Madrid, the prime minister said: “We need to invest for the long term in vital capabilities like future combat air, while simultaneously adapting to a more dangerous and more competitive world.
At a press conference capping a nine-day trip during which the prime minister has also attended a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda and the G7 summit in southern Germany, Johnson said Vladimir Putin had succeeded in uniting the west againstHe was, however, dismissive of Ukraine’s prospects of joining Nato. “His invasion has actually brought the west together … It was never remotely likely thatwas going to join Nato any time in the foreseeable future, everybody knew that. It was completely mythical.
He said: “That these two paladins for peace have joined Nato tells you all you need to know about Nato, and all you need to know about Putin.”The announcement of the extra defence spending is likely to bring to a close several days of off-record but determined bickering with the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, and senior army figures.
At the press conference, Johnson said Nato should offer a security guarantee for Ukraine: “All of Nato, or just some Nato countries, should be offering deterrence by denial, so that we fortify Ukraine with Nato-grade weaponry, plus intelligence, plus training, so that no future attack is conceivable.
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