David Lammy urged European Nato members to ramp up defence spending ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
The US president-elect has been highly critical of European states relying on American funding for their security, accusing European countries of free-riding on America’s promise of protection.
Speaking at a meeting of Nato’s foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, Mr Lammy said Nato allies must “get serious” about the need to increase defence budgets.
“The time to act is now,” the foreign secretary warned, as Europe faces growing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
However, the government is yet to set out its own plans for increasing spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
Mr Lammy highlighted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s role in conflicts around the world as a reason for higher military budgets in the West.
“We’re living in very dangerous times, and as we look across the world, with war here on our continent in Europe, with the tremendous aggression that we’re seeing across the Middle East, with the hand of Iran so present in the Middle East and with this rising conflict in Sudan and now in Syria, there is one country whose hand is in so much of it, and that is Russia,” he said.
“And that is why, as we meet here discussing these important issues, it’s hugely important that we step up defence spending, across Nato allies particularly.
“In the United Kingdom, we are at 2.3 per cent, heading to 2.5 per cent as soon as we can get there, and we urge all allies across the Nato family to get serious about defence spending.
“All of our populations require us to understand the tremendous security challenges that we are facing at this time, the time to act is now.”
Ahead of the meeting Mr Lammy also called for Nato to increase military support for Ukraine and step up efforts to deter co-operation between Putin and his allies following the deployment of 10,000 North Korea troops to assist Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Brussels meeting comes as questions continue to be asked about the impact of a second Trump presidency on western support for Ukraine after the incoming president said he wanted to end the conflict on “day one” of his term.
The comments have led to fears he will negotiate a deal that would see Ukraine give up land to Russia in what Putin could present as a win.
Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday that Ukraine needed to be put in the “strongest possible position for negotiations”, the first time the prime minister has acknowledged the possibility of a negotiated end to the conflict.
But he also stressed the UK would back Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.
It comes after he and French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to step up support for Kyiv going into the winter, in what was seen as a boost in support before Trump’s inauguration.
