NewsWorldEuropeAnnouncement comes ahead of Sir Keir\u2019s crunch meeting with US president Donald Trump to end war in Ukraine<\/p>\n
Starmer says ‘Russia is a menace in our waters’<\/p>\n
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Sir Keir Starmer said he \u201cagrees with Trump\u201d that the UK needs to do more towards European security after announcing a boost in defence spending earlier today. <\/p>\n
Speaking from Downing Street, the prime minister reiterated his announcement in the House of Commons that defence spending will increase to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir was repeatedly asked by reporters whether the decision was made due to pressure from the US president. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s true President Trump thinks we should do more, and I agree with him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But the decision was \u201cthree years in the making\u201d, he added, saying that we have \u201cknown that this decision had to be taken\u201d since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The funding boost comes at the expense of the overseas development budget, which will be cut from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent. The decision was \u201cfunded by hard choices\u201d, Sir Keir told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be clear: that is not an announcement that I\u2019m happy to make,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever the realities of our dangerous new era means that the defence and national security of our country must always come first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zelensky is becoming ‘toxic’ in Ukraine, says PutinRussian president Vladimir Putin has accused Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of becoming a \u201ctoxic\u201d figure in Ukraine. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe gives absurd orders dictated not by military considerations but by political considerations, and it is unclear what these are based on,\u201d the autocrat, who ordered the illegal invasion of Ukraine three years ago yesterday, told Russian state-controlled TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis leads to unjustifiably large losses, if not to say very large or catastrophic losses for the Ukrainian army,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is becoming toxic for society as a whole, and this is also indicated by today\u2019s vote, as I think, in the Ukrainian Rada on the extension of his authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russian president Vladimir Putin meets with Dream Island Holding Company Chairman of the Board Amiran Mutsoyev at the Kremlin in Moscow (EPA)Alex Croft25 February 2025 18:16<\/p>\n
Starmer declines to respond to US siding with Russia and Iran at UNSir Keir Starmer has declined to comment on the US voting with the likes of Russia, Iran and North Korea in a UN resolution on Ukraine yesterday. <\/p>\n
\u201cI will go to see president Trump\u2026 in order to ensure we can take the relationship between our two countries from strength to strength,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me that is far more important than commenting on individual resolutions at the UN, notwithstanding the context that that inevitably creates,\u201d Sir Keir added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a good relationship, we have a positive relationship, our countries have a strong relationship, and I am going to build that relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Croft25 February 2025 17:42<\/p>\n
Starmer slaps down Nigel Farage for \u2018fawning over Putin\u2019Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:<\/p>\n
Sir Keir Starmer has slapped down Nigel Farage for \u201cfawning over Putin\u201d, accusing him of failing to turn up for his Commons statement on defence spending.<\/p>\n
Asked by reporters if he is \u201cNigel Farage in disguise\u201d after slashing the aid budget and boosting defence spending, the prime minister issued a robust response, saying: \u201cNigel Farage didn’t even turn up for the debate in Parliament today. Nigel Farage is fawning over Putin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s not patriotism. That is not what working people need.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWhat I’ve done is take the duty of prime minister seriously, which is to ensure that our citizens are safe and secure. And this decision is made to ensure they are safe and secure.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a decision intended to ensure that we fight for the peace that we’ve enjoyed for the last 80 years, so that for generations to come, they can enjoy the freedoms that we have enjoyed. I’ve taken this with only one thing in mind and that is the citizens of this country, for whom I am responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Croft25 February 2025 17:34<\/p>\n
Starmer denies UK was bounced into a decision on defence spending by Donald TrumpPolitical correspondent Millie Cooke reports:<\/p>\n
Sir Keir Starmer denied his government was bounced into a decision on defence spending by Donald Trump, saying this decision has \u201cbeen coming for three years\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked about the timing of today\u2019s announcement \u2013 which comes days before the PM sits down with Mr Trump in Washington \u2013 Sir Keir told reporters in Downing Street: \u201cIn our heart of hearts, we’ve all known that this decision has been coming for three years since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last few weeks have accelerated my thinking on when we needed to make this announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll be very clear about that because it is absolutely clear to me now that the decision that started life three years ago, needs to be taken now to rise to the challenge\u201d.<\/p>\n
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a press statement on defense in the Briefing Room (EPA)Alex Croft25 February 2025 17:33<\/p>\n
I agree with Trump on defence, says StarmerAsked if he would have announced a defence spending boost if Donald Trump were not in the White House, Sir Keir admitted that he agrees with the US president\u2019s stance on defence. <\/p>\n
“Yes, it’s true President Trump thinks we should do more, and I agree with him,” Sir Keir told reporters. <\/p>\n
“It chimes with my thinking on this. And by more, I mean more capability, I mean more co-ordination, and I mean more spending.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he added that the decision has been \u201cthree years in the making\u201d, and that we have \u201cknown that this decision had to be taken [for three years]\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cOf course, the discussions about talks between the parties, a possible peace, what that might mean for European security, the role the UK would have to play in that, has brought our response into sharp focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have made a commitment\u2026 that we will play our full part in security guarantees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Croft25 February 2025 17:30<\/p>\n
Starmer: ‘Hard choices’ had to be made in ‘dangerous new era’Sir Keir says the increase in defence spending can only be \u201cfunded by hard choices\u201d in the short term. <\/p>\n
He reiterates his earlier announcement that overseas development spending will be cut from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be clear: that is not an announcement that I\u2019m happy to make,\u201d Sir Keir said \u201cI\u2019m proud of Britain\u2019s pioneering record on overseas development and we will continue to play a key humanitarian role in wartorn countries like Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we will do everything to move towards a world where we can rebuild our development.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever the realities of our dangerous new era means that the defence and national security of our country must always come first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Croft25 February 2025 17:26<\/p>\n
Starmer: As the conflict changes, we must change our approachSir Keir Starmer is speaking in a news conference after announcing a hike in defence spending earlier today. <\/p>\n
Speaking of Ukrainians, he says: \u201cTheir courage is inspiring. And Britain can be proud of its response. British families have opened their doors. <\/p>\n
He continues: \u201cI will put on record again that I respect the robust response taken by the previous government. I supported it in opposition and we have built on it in government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as the nature of that conflict changes, as it has done in recent weeks, it also brings our response into sharper focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe must now change our approach to national security so we are ready to meet the challenges of our volatile world. Putin\u2019s aggression does not stop in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Keir also referenced the Novichok attack in Salisbury of seven years ago as he made clear that Russian aggression crosses into British territory. <\/p>\n
Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement on Defence spending at Downing Street (Getty Images)Alex Croft25 February 2025 17:21<\/p>\n
Starmer defence spending plans ‘enormously significant’, Rusi saysThe deputy director of the defence and security think tank Rusi has labelled the Prime Minister\u2019s intention to get to spending 3% of GDP on defence during the next parliament as \u201cenormously significant\u201d.<\/p>\n
Malcolm Chalmers said in a statement that Tuesday\u2019s announcement marks \u201cthe largest sustained increase in the defence budget since the war\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cA large part of the initial increase to 2.5% is likely to be needed to fill gaps in existing, but underfunded, programmes, as well as addressing urgent shortfalls in readiness and munitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe commitment to 3% by the mid-2030s is enormously significant, giving the armed forces and defence industry the ability to plan for the long-term.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has the potential to increase the effectiveness with which the MoD budget is spent, as it moves away from the stop and start that has been so damaging in the past. In order to reap this dividend, though, the MoD will need to ensure that it does not over-commit its budget as it has done so often in the past.<\/p>\n
He described the 3% target as an \u201copportunity to finance a transformation in how our military fights, ensuring that innovation is not always squeezed out by spending on big platforms\u201d.<\/p>\n
Jabed Ahmed25 February 2025 17:17<\/p>\n
Challenges for the Russian economy in 2025The Russian economy has shown resilience during the three years of war in Ukraine and Western sanctions. However, as the war reaches its fourth year, the economy faces major challenges with key economic policymakers at odds on how to address them.<\/p>\n
Below are the key challenges for the Russian economy in 2025:<\/p>\n
Inflation<\/p>\n
Russian annual inflation reached 9.5% in 2024, driven by high military and national security spending, which is set to account for 41% of total state budget spending in 2025, state subsidies on loans, and spiralling wage growth amid labour shortages. Inflation tops the list of economic woes in public opinion polls, with prices for staple foods such as butter, eggs, and vegetables showing double-digit growth last year. Economic slowdown<\/p>\n
The government projects that economic growth rates will slow to 2.5% in 2025 from around 4% in 2024 as a result of measures to cool down the overheated economy, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects growth at 1.4% this year. The pro-government economic think tank TsMAKP estimated that many industrial sectors outside defence have been stagnating since 2023, raising prospects of stagflation, a combination of high inflation and economic stagnation. Budget deficit<\/p>\n
Russia’s budget deficit reached 1.7% of GDP in 2024, while the country’s National Wealth Fund, the main source of financing the deficit, has been depleted by two-thirds during three years of war. The government raised taxes to bring the deficit down to 0.5% of GDP in 2025, but its revenues could also fall due to the latest U.S. energy sanctions, which targeted Russia’s oil and gas sector. Jabed Ahmed25 February 2025 16:59<\/p>\n
Jabed Ahmed25 February 2025 16:39<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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