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Wes Streeting, the new Secretary of State for Defence in the U.K., indicated Sunday he is willing to work with the Trump administration on matters of common interest.
“The first thing you do is, you don’t suck up. … My impression is President Trump, his administration, that’s not what they’re looking for actually. He’s a straight talker, he says what he means and means what he says,” Streeting said on Sky News.
Streeting took his post on Monday after new U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham began to put his cabinet in place. He is trying to mend relations with the U.S. government after Trump repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Keir Starmer.
One point of contention between Trump and Starmer was the latter’s unwillingness to support the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Streeting noted Sunday the Burnham administration has not pivoted, adding that he told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week he “won’t support offensive action” in Iran.
“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,” Streeting added.
Throughout his two terms in office, Trump has railed against NATO allies for not spending enough on defense — and for, in his view, being overly reliant on military support from Washington.
Last year, NATO countries committed to spending 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2035 — up from the alliance’s prior 2 percent commitment, reached in 2014.
Streeting on Sunday praised Trump for his role in NATO countries reaching the agreement in the summer of 2025.
“We don’t always like what he says. We don’t always like his methods,” the secretary added, referring to the president. “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 long-standing [point] of U.S. frustration with Europe under Democratic and Republican presidents.”
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, expressed approval of Streeting’s remarks.
“You’re welcome UK. We need allies, yes, but ones with real military capabilities,” Waltz wrote Sunday on social platform X.
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