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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared at the Munich Security Conference that Europe must take a greater role in its own defense.
The conference was attended by heads of state from around 60 countries, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the NATO Secretary General, and leaders of European countries.
At the start of his speech, Starmer described NATO as a historic achievement, but stressed the need for a stronger European dimension within the alliance. While he described Europe as a 'sleeping giant'.
"The NATO alliance is a phenomenon in the history of mankind. Europe is a sleeping giant, with an economy more than ten times the size of Russia's ," Starmer said.
However, according to him, European defense capabilities suffer from fragmentation and duplication, which has made them "extremely inefficient" and undermined collective security.
"The American security umbrella has allowed us to develop these bad habits, but we must break them," Starmer said.
The British Prime Minister stressed that any restructuring of the European role must be done in close coordination with Washington.
"It is essential that we do this with the US," he declared, underlining that the United States remains an indispensable ally and that its contribution to European security is incomparable.
Starmer acknowledged that the international order is changing and that the “new normal” is a Europe that takes more responsibility for its own defense. He added that the world has changed fundamentally and that democratic countries must find new ways to uphold values and the rule of law.
Speaking about the future of the continent, Starmer declared that "Europe must stand on its own two feet."
He said this requires putting an end to "petty concerns" and building a more European NATO, underpinned by "deeper ties".
According to him, part of this foundation is related to the ability of European societies to prove that "people who look different from each other can live peacefully together."
"We are no longer the Britain of the Brexit years ," he declared to applause. "Because we know that in a dangerous world, we would not take control by turning inward, we would hand it over. And I will not let that happen," he added.
In conclusion, Starmer warned that Europe must prepare for a tougher security environment.
"Europe does not seek conflict and aims for lasting peace," he said, but added that the way forward "must be built on strong power, because it is the currency of the era."
"We must be ready to fight if necessary," the prime minister declared.
He stressed that for many British citizens, the war has been a distant reality, "something that deeply concerns us, but which happens far away."
"Today we can feel the ground we stand on softening beneath our feet," Starmer said.
Referring to the war in Ukraine, Starmer said Russia has proven its appetite for aggression. “Time and again, leaders have looked the other way, rearming only when disaster struck. This time it must be different,” he concluded.
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