The U.K.’s new defense secretary said Sunday that Europe will ultimately thank President Donald Trump for waking up the continent from its complacency and forcing NATO allies to take responsibility for their own security.
Speaking on Sky News, Wes Streeting also signaled a rebalancing of the U.K. government’s transatlantic stance under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham while stating that Britain continued to refuse to back U.S. offensive military action against Iran.
“The first thing you do is you don’t suck up, and… my impression is President Trump, his administration… that’s not what they’re looking for, actually,” Streeting told Sky News anchor Trevor Phillips, stating his perspective on Washington.
“He’s a straight talker. He says what he means and means what he says.”
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“I don’t know him, but I do trust the United States,” he added.
Streeting took charge of the U.K. Ministry of Defence on July 20, the same day Burnham became prime minister.
“I’ve not even been in the job a week. I’ve always been aware that the alliance between the U.S. and the U.K. is unlike any in the world, and of course, that’s historic, it’s cultural, it’s political,” Streeting said. “It’s driven by self-interest as well as mutual shared interests.”
During his first week in office, Streeting also had a call with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to discuss maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and broader NATO commitments.
“But just in my first week as defense secretary, I have had a unique insight into just how close and integral that relationship is when it comes to defense and security,” Streeting explained.
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“And it’s one of the reasons why I was very keen and pleased in the first week to meet with my U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, where I was clear that we’ve not supported offensive action in Iran, and we won’t support offensive action in Iran,” he continued. “But there are plenty of things that we can and should do together when it comes to securing the Strait of Hormuz, in making sure that Iran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons, in terms of investing in our capability and NATO’s capability.”
Trump has long criticized European NATO members for failing to spend enough on defense, arguing they should shoulder a greater share of the alliance’s security burden.
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At July’s NATO summit in Turkey, Trump pressed allies to follow through on their commitments to increase defense spending.
“And one of the things I’d say about President Trump specifically: we don’t always like what he says, we don’t always like his methods,” Streeting said. “But I genuinely think when this period of history is written, Europe will thank President Trump for shaking us out of our complacency and forcing us to stand on our own two feet and end the period of overreliance on the United States for defense because what he said about Europe isn’t unique to President Trump, the MAGA movement or the Republican Party.”
“This has been a longstanding grain of U.S. frustration with Europe under Democratic and Republican presidents, and in the world we live in, it is right that we can act to secure ourselves,” he added.
Streeting also said the U.K. could “act with our allies here in Europe and, of course, work with the United States without being overly dependent to the extent that NATO and Europe has been.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to 10 Downing Street for further comment.
