The UK and Australia plan to underscore their resolve to maintain a defense pact with the US at a meeting on Monday amid concern about President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to the agreement.
David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, and John Healey, the UK defense secretary, will host their Australian counterparts in London for the annual meeting, known as AUKMIN. While it was planned long before last month’s US election, both countries intend to emphasize their “steadfast commitment” to Aukus — named after Australia, the UK and US.
Under the Aukus deal signed in 2021, the three countries have committed to delivering a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia by the 2030s to counter China’s undersea presence in the Indo-Pacific region. The deal is “one of the most strategically important collaborations for decades,” the UK government said Sunday in a news release.
Uncertainty about Trump’s approach to Aukus is based largely on his vows to cut government spending, as well as concerns he may seek to alter terms negotiated by the current president, Joe Biden.
Still, Trump’s hawkish approach to China may push him to want to focus more on the pact, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
In June, former Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who signed the deal with Biden and the UK’s Boris Johnson, said Trump had expressed a positive opinion toward the Aukus pact during a visit to the US in May.
Read More: Australia’s Fears Over Trump’s Return Are Baseless, Ex-PM Says
The Trump transition team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
The UK and Australia will also use the summit to unveil new security initiatives — including deploying a branch of the Royal Navy, the UK Carrier Strike Group, to Australia in 2025 and extending Australian training of Ukrainian armed forces.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be in Norway on Monday to announce plans for a green energy deal with the country before attending a defense summit in Estonia.
