Europe must establish a common security framework and take greater responsibility for its own protection, as the shift in transatlantic relations represents a definitive transformation. This was stated by former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a dinner organised in Dublin by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, according to BBC News. The former prime minister specified that Washington has made clear its intention not to continue funding the defence of European allies.

In his address at Dublin's City Hall, Starmer stressed that this scenario is not merely a parenthesis linked to the presidency of Donald Trump, but rather a permanent condition. In his view, the continent was caught unprepared first by the Russian attack on Ukraine and subsequently by US decisions, making it necessary to quickly make up lost ground strategically, without this compromising the significance of the military and intelligence alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States.

The former Labour leader argued that increasing defence spending represents only part of the necessary response to current challenges. He called for pan-European coordination comparable to the integration of the single market, specifying that action cannot fall exclusively on the European Union, since the continent's peripheral nations are crucial to the entire regional defence structure.

The remarks come after complex months in bilateral relations with Washington, marked by previous disagreements over the use of British air bases for military raids in the Middle East. Despite such frictions and critical comments received from the US administration, Starmer reaffirmed the importance of historic institutional ties, confirming nevertheless his intention to maintain contact with his transatlantic counterparts after the conclusion of his time at Downing Street.