FILE PHOTO: Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey joins serving military personnel to hand out poppies and collect donations for the Royal British Legion Appeal during London Poppy Day, at Victoria Station, London, Britain. Picture date: Thursday October 31, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS/File Phooto
LONDON (Reuters) - British defence minister John Healey said on Monday he expected the incoming Donald Trump administration to remain committed to NATO and to Ukraine in its conflict against Russia for as long as it takes.
Asked if support for Ukraine had fallen since Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election last week, Healey told Sky News: "As far as President Trump goes, he recognises that countries get security through strength, just as alliances like NATO do.
"And I expect the U.S. to remain alongside allies like the UK, standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes to prevail over (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's invasion."
Healey also said the U.S. commitment to NATO and European security would remain strong under a Trump presidency, but he said he had argued for some time that European nations needed to do more "heavy lifting" in terms of boosting defence spending.
"I don't expect the U.S. to turn away from NATO. They recognise the importance of the alliance. They recognise the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe," he said.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holton)
