logo
Starmer hosts Swedish PM in Downing Street

Starmer hosts Swedish PM in Downing Street

Leader Live12-05-2025

The Prime Minister's meeting with Ulf Kristersson was the third between the two men in four days, having spoken at the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Oslo last Friday and again in Kyiv on Saturday.
Welcoming Mr Kristersson to Number 10 'at a really important time', Sir Keir said: 'I think our relationship is as strong as it has ever been.
'We think alike and act alike, particularly on issues like Ukraine and global affairs.'
Mr Kristersson in turn praised Sir Keir for taking on a 'leadership responsibility', and said the meeting showed 'how much we appreciate the way you are acting together with the rest of us in Europe right now'.
Earlier in the day, Mr Kristersson had met with British and Swedish defence companies.
Sweden joined Nato last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and has backed Britain and France's plans for a 'coalition of the willing' to deploy a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow.
On Monday, Sweden joined other Nordic and Baltic countries in reiterating calls for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and commending Volodymyr Zelensky for his willingness to meet Vladimir Putin in person.
Following Monday's meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said the pair had 'agreed to continue support for Ukraine and put the pressure on Putin to accept the ceasefire deal on the table – without conditions'.
As well as discussing Sweden's contribution to Operation Interflex, the UK effort to train Ukrainian troops, the spokesperson said the two men agreed to 'closer working' on trade, defence and nuclear power.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iran already carrying out ‘wholly unacceptable' actions in UK, Reynolds warns
Iran already carrying out ‘wholly unacceptable' actions in UK, Reynolds warns

Leader Live

time2 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Iran already carrying out ‘wholly unacceptable' actions in UK, Reynolds warns

Jonathan Reynolds said Iranian activity in the UK is already substantial and it would be 'naive' to think it will not escalate. The Business Secretary said 'not a week goes by' without Iran targeting cyber attacks on the UK's critical national infrastructure. Both MI5 and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have warned about Iran's activities. The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, said in October that authorities had stopped 20 state-backed plots hatched by Iran in the UK since 2022. He warned of an 'unprecedented pace and scale' of plots posing 'potentially lethal threats' to British citizens and UK residents. The NCSC has warned Iran 'is developing its cyber capabilities and is willing to target the UK to fulfil its disruptive and destructive objectives'. Mr Reynolds told Sky News the risk from Iran in the UK is 'not hypothetical'. He said: 'There is not a week goes by without some sort of Iranian cyber attack on a key part of the UK's critical national infrastructure. There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable. 'It's already at a significant level. I think it would be naive to say that that wouldn't potentially increase. The number of state threat investigations run by MI5 has jumped by 48% in the last year. Countries like Iran use proxies to carry out lethal plots on UK soil – we must act. Those carrying out activity for Iran in the UK must declare it or risk facing up to 5 years in prison. — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) March 6, 2025 'But again, there's a choice here for Iran: Do they want to continue being an agent of instability in the region and the wider world? Where has that got them? Where has it got the Iranian people? 'There's a better course of action for Iran to take here, and I think they should consider that.' Iran was the first foreign power to be listed on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme, aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence. It means anyone who is directed by Iran to carry out activities in the UK must declare it or face five years in prison. The scheme is due to come into force in July. The Home Office will also introduce new laws that will allow the UK to proscribe state-based groups such as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In the latest sign of Iran's actions against the UK, it emerged on Saturday that authorities in Cyprus have arrested a Briton alleged to have been carrying out surveillance of the RAF Akrotiri base on the island.

Spain agrees with NATO to skip 5% defence spending target
Spain agrees with NATO to skip 5% defence spending target

Reuters

time2 hours ago

  • Reuters

Spain agrees with NATO to skip 5% defence spending target

MADRID, June 22 (Reuters) - Spain agreed with the NATO military alliance to be excluded from spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday. "A 5% spending would be disproportionate and unnecessary," Sanchez said in an address on national television. "We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defence investment, but we are not going to do it," he said, adding Spain could meet all its commitments to NATO, in terms of staff or equipment, by spending only 2.1% of its GDP. Diplomats had said earlier on Sunday the 32 countries comprising NATO had agreed on a statement for the upcoming summit setting a goal of 5% of GDP for annual defence and security related by 2035 overcoming Spain's objection. In a letter sent on Thursday, Sanchez had told NATO chief Mark Rutte his country wanted to opt out of a new 5% spending target. The letter raised concerns that Spain would derail the whole summit. At an estimated 1.28% of GDP, Spain had the lowest proportion of expenditure on defence in the alliance last year, according to NATO estimates. Sanchez agreed in April to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's current target of 2% this year.

Trump prepares to jet to NATO as poll reveals Americans think White House backs Russia over Ukraine
Trump prepares to jet to NATO as poll reveals Americans think White House backs Russia over Ukraine

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Trump prepares to jet to NATO as poll reveals Americans think White House backs Russia over Ukraine

President Donald Trump will head to a NATO summit this week - as a poll found that more Americans think his administration is siding with Russia over Ukraine. A Ronald Reagan Institute survey of U.S. adults, conducted from late May to early June, showed 37 percent of respondents believe the Trump administration is favoring Russia when it comes to negotiating an end to the conflict. Just 14 percent said the Trump White House was favoring Ukraine. Another 36 percent said the Trump administration was taking a neutral approach - despite Ukraine being a longtime U.S. ally and Russian President Vladimir Putin launching the invasion in February 2022. The numbers, which were released Sunday, come after Newsweek reported that the U.S. was pressuring European allies to limit references to Ukraine in the final communique of the NATO summit, which will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in The Hague, Netherlands. A White House spokesperson wouldn't confirm Newsweek's reporting to the Daily Mail. If the U.S. is successful at containing a focus on Ukraine, it would be a departure from previous NATO summits during the tenure of former President Joe Biden that showed strong support for the besieged country, which is not a NATO member. Ahead of the summit, a senior U.S. official's statement didn't mention the Ukraine war - instead focusing on one of Trump's longtime goals for NATO. 'The president intends to secure a historic 5 percent defense spending pledge from NATO allies, which will strengthen the Alliance's combined military capabilities and ensure greater stability in Europe and the world,' the senior official said. 'This effort builds on the hundreds of billions of dollars in spending increases already achieved across the Alliance since 2017 thanks to President Trump's diplomacy in his first term,' the source added. The Reagan Institute Survey found that a majority of Americans still support defending a NATO ally even if they weren't spending enough on defense. Fifty-three percent expressed this view, while 30 percent said the U.S. should not come to that country's defense. A majority of Americans also opposed the U.S. pulling out of NATO - 55 percent to 33 percent - with respondents feeling more strongly about the U.S. staying in. Breaking down the numbers, 38 percent strongly opposed the U.S. pulling out of NATO - which was formed to deter the former Soviet Union - while just 15 percent supported the U.S. withdrawing from the compact. On several occasions, Trump has mulled pulling the U.S. out of NATO or threatened not to come to a country's aid if they don't pay up. During the 2024 campaign, Trump sparked controversy by recounting a conversation with a world leader in which he suggested he might not defend a NATO country that was 'delinquent' in its payments. 'I would encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills,' the then-candidate said. Seventy-one percent of U.S. adults said they supported the U.S. defending a NATO country if there was an attack. Just 17 percent weren't in favor of helping a NATO ally. A majority of Americans, 59 percent, also said they were in favor of increasing the U.S.'s military presence in Europe to counter Russian aggression. Trump said last Saturday that Putin called him on his birthday - but their discussion mainly focused on the war between Israel and Iran, rather than Russia's own conflict. 'Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine, but that will be for next week,' the president said in a Truth Social post. That was ahead of Trump's trip to Canada for the G7 - which he cut a day short - saying he needed to be back in Washington to tend to the war in the Middle East. He was supposed to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the day of the G7 that he missed. 'Finally, President Trump intends to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders, which will focus on issues of shared concern and reaffirm the United States strong ties with our allies and partners,' the senior official said Friday, not articulating who the president was sitting down with yet. It was unclear as of Friday if Zelensky still planned to travel to the Hague for the NATO Summit after Trump skipped their G7 meeting.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store