LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday said the UK must “accept that there's a war on two fronts," referring to the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking to the media in Finland ahead of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led Northern European military partnership, Starmer said the talks would focus on the Russia-Ukraine war but stressed that the wider global picture must also be considered.

"There's the Iranian conflict and the continuing Ukrainian conflict. Today, I'll be talking to allies about what more we can do," he said.

Starmer was also asked how the government intends to fund its defense commitments, including whether spending may need to rise to 3.5% of GDP sooner than planned.

He said there would be further “discussions” on both funding levels and military “capability."

"Obviously, I've already committed to increasing defense spending. We have commitments to go further, and we will keep those commitments," he added.

He also reiterated his earlier announcement that British forces have been authorized to intercept sanctioned Russian ships travelling through UK waters.

'Threat has grown'

At the start of the meeting, Starmer also said, "Of course, we will continue to defend our interests there, but the threat from Russia in the north and the east has not gone away, and there it's important that we're here today."

"In fact, in my view, that threat has grown, and we all know very well the impact of that threat for our security, for our economies, and the cost of living for families in each of our countries," he noted.

He also held meetings with his Dutch and Swedish counterparts.

Starmer and new Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten discussed "opportunities to work more closely together on energy, technology, and defense."

The UK and the Netherlands "could go further in their military cooperation in the coming months," said Starmer.

Starmer and the Swedish Premier Ulf Kristersson discussed plans to deepen maritime cooperation between the UK and Sweden, with both sides aiming to strengthen regional security.

"Turning to Ukraine, the leaders reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine's sovereignty and discussed how they could continue to step up pressure on Russia, beyond the shadow fleet, to force Putin to seriously engage with peace talks," according to Downing Street.