0:00
Karm has pledged to increase defense
0:01
spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but
0:05
what's the context on the third
0:07
anniversary of Russia's invasion of
0:08
Ukraine France's president macron became
0:11
the first European leader to meet Donald
0:12
Trump since his inauguration this was
0:14
more than a friendly meet and greet
0:16
transatlantic relations are at perhaps
0:18
their lowest point since the second
0:19
world war after Donald Trump opened
0:21
bilateral negotiations with Vladimir
0:23
Putin leaving European leaders and
0:25
Vladimir zelinsky blindsided he's
0:28
accused Europe of doing far too little
0:29
to end the war in Ukraine he's called
0:31
zalinsky a dictator and his vice
0:33
president JD Vance has claimed that
0:34
crackdowns on Free Speech are a greater
0:36
threat to Europe than a nuclear armed
0:38
and actively hostile Russia so macron
0:40
had a delicate task this week mollifying
0:43
the notoriously ertic president while
0:44
also reassuring the home continent that
0:46
its future will not be decided by these
0:48
two strong men alone behind their backs
0:50
and we saw that Dynamic play out in
0:52
their joint press conference yes there
0:54
were jokes and handshakes but mcon also
0:56
corrected Trump on his claim that Europe
0:57
will be paid back for its financial
1:00
but in concessions to America's change
1:02
of position on the conflict macron
1:03
indicated that France may be willing to
1:05
put peacekeeping troops on the ground
1:07
something Britain has also said it may
1:08
do and that Trump was right to bring an
1:10
end to Putin's Pariah status and while
1:12
the meeting may have looked on the
1:13
surface like a success it came as
1:15
America voted with Russia North Korea
1:18
and bellarus against a un motion
1:20
condemning Putin's aggression so where
1:23
does this leave Britain K ster is
1:24
heading to Washington on Thursday but he
1:26
has a less wellestablished relationship
1:28
with Trump than macron who famously
1:30
treated him to a military parade and
1:31
lunch at top the Eiffel Tower in his
1:33
first term the prime minister's first
1:34
job will be to convince Trump that he's
1:36
a man he can do business with ultimately
1:38
this may come down to money and that
1:40
must have been a deciding factor in the
1:42
prime minister's announcement that
1:44
Britain will be spending 13.4 billion a
1:46
year more on defense by 2027 paid for by
1:49
cuts to the foreign aid budget the
1:51
trouble is defense spending by itself
1:53
doesn't increase capabilities and
1:54
Britain is notoriously bad at defense
1:56
procurement spending billions on
1:57
equipment that doesn't work and is
1:59
delivered late and over budget that said
2:02
public opinion remains firmly in favor
2:04
of Ukraine with 53% backing ongoing
2:06
support So stman must persuade Trump
2:09
that this is in America's interest too
2:11
his best argument may be that Putin's
2:13
position is not as strong as it looks
2:15
with his forces continually repelled by
2:16
those of Ukraine and his military stocks
2:18
depleted capitulation will make America
2:21
look weak while emboldening China Will
2:23
trump listen well he said starmer is a
2:25
nice guy but there are deep ideological
2:27
differences between the two as evidenced
2:29
by St evocation of prominent socialist
2:31
Clement Atley in his statement to the
2:32
House of Commons praising the post-war
2:35
order well everything this white house
2:37
has done suggests that's an order it has
2:39
no interest in maintaining let us know
2:41
what you think in the comments below
