The US and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the UK’s decision to buy 12 new US-made F-35 fighter jets, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Rutte praised the move as a strong British contribution to NATO, while US Ambassador Warren Stephens said it strengthens the US-UK alliance and supports jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the purchase an investment in national security. His announcement comes as former US President Trump pushes NATO countries to increase their defence spending.

NATO leaders, including Starmer, are meeting in The Hague to discuss increasing the defence spending goal to 5% of GDP by 2035 — up from the current 2%.

Starmer also pledged 350 air defence missiles for Ukraine, funded through £70 million raised from interest on seized Russian assets.

Currently, only the US, UK, and France among NATO countries have nuclear weapons. Seven others contributed aircraft capable of carrying American nuclear bombs stored in Europe.

However, some NATO allies are reportedly concerned about the US’s future commitment to mutual defence under Article 5 — which promises that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all.

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