During a trilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden on Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak affirmed an increase in Britain’s defence budget of GBP 5 billion over the following two years.
The AUKUS treaty, which was signed in 2021 as part of a cooperative effort to confront Chinese military might in the Indo-Pacific area, will be discussed by the world leaders, who will also decide on the specifics of a UK-US agreement to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
According to Downing Street, the additional defence spending would cost GBP 3 billion.