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Boris Johnson to back Donald Trump on Nato spending Boris Johnson backs Donald Trump on Nato spending
(about 9 hours later)
Britain will support US President-elect Donald Trump's campaign to get Nato countries to spend more on defence, Boris Johnson will say in a speech. Britain will support US President-elect Donald Trump's campaign to get Nato countries to spend more on defence, Boris Johnson has said.
He will say it cannot be justified that the US pays for 70% of Nato spending. In a speech, he said it could not be "justified" that the US accounted for about 70% of Nato defence spending.
But the foreign secretary will say that the UK's resolve to fulfil its Nato obligations is "unbreakable" in a world where democracy is "in retreat". He also said the UK would not seek to prevent the EU from forming a closer common defence policy.
During his election campaign, Mr Trump was critical of Nato, describing the Western military alliance as obsolete.During his election campaign, Mr Trump was critical of Nato, describing the Western military alliance as obsolete.
He suggested that the US would think twice about coming to the aid of any Nato ally under attack if it had not paid its "fair share".He suggested that the US would think twice about coming to the aid of any Nato ally under attack if it had not paid its "fair share".
'More brutal system''More brutal system'
The UK, which meets the commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence, has also been urging other countries to increase their contribution. The UK, which meets the commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence, has also been urging other countries to increase their contributions.
Mr Johnson, in a speech to the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, will say the UK must "redouble our resolve and to defend and preserve the best of the rules-based international order." Mr Johnson, in a speech to the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, said the UK must "redouble our resolve to defend and preserve the best of the rules-based international order" to prevent a return to "an older and more brutal system where the strong are free to devour the weak".
"If we fail, then we risk reverting to an older and more brutal system where the strong are free to devour the weak where might is always right and the rules and institutions we have so painstakingly built fade away into irrelevance. We cannot allow this to happen.
"We have to acknowledge that in many respects the world is not in good shape. We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Libya. What is the answer of the UK, is it to cower and put the pillow over our heads? Emphatically not.""We have to acknowledge that in many respects the world is not in good shape. We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Libya. What is the answer of the UK, is it to cower and put the pillow over our heads? Emphatically not."
He will commit Britain to the concept of collective Nato defence, that an attack on any one member "shall be considered an attack against them all" but will add: He committed Britain to the concept of collective Nato defence: "At the heart of this institution - Nato, the most durable and successful defence alliance in history - lies the security guarantee contained in the North Atlantic Treaty Article 5, that an attack on any one member shall be considered an attack against them all.
"President-elect Trump has a point, it cannot be justified that one Nato ally, America, accounts for about 70% of the alliance's defence spending while the other 27 countries manage only 30% between them. "And in offering that guarantee, President-elect Donald Trump has a point. It cannot be justified that one Nato ally, America, accounts for about 70% of the alliance's defence spending while the other 27 countries manage only 30% between them. "
"I want every Nato member to meet the agreed target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, and 20% of their defence budget on new equipment. Britain already abides by this target and I note that Nato's most exposed members - including Estonia and Poland - do so as well." He said every Nato member should meet the agreed target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, and 20% of their defence budget on new equipment.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale said Friday's intervention would be Mr Johnson's first substantive policy speech since he became foreign secretary and presented a chance to try to move on from recent diplomatic skirmishes over Brexit and sketch out a future for Britain in the world. Mr Johnson said Britain would not oppose attempts by the European Union to form a common defence policy: "You know, if they want to do that, fine. Obviously they should also spend 2% of their GDP on defence, it might be the first thing to get right, but we are not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration if that is what they so desire."
Mr Johnson is also expected to say that Britain must be tough with Russia over Syria and Ukraine - but must also be prepared to talk: "As the Nato general secretary has pointed out, there is no contradiction between deterrence and dialogue." And the foreign secretary said that strong defence did not preclude negotiations and that he believed pressure could be brought to bear on Russia - amid tensions with Nato over Crimea and the bombing campaign in Syria.
"We can't normalise relations with Russia or go back to business as usual. But as I've said time and again, Russia could win the acclaim of the world by halting its bombing campaign of Syria, delivering Assad to peace talks, abiding by the letter of the Minsk agreements in Ukraine."