US House Speaker Johnson: West will only survive if countries prioritise national interests

LONDON: Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday the “survival of the West” depended on countries prioritising their own national interests before extending a helping hand to their neighbours.

Speaking via video link at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London, Johnson argued the US could only maintain its “strength and leadership” if its foreign policy was centred on its national interests.

“It’s a matter of common sense for each of our countries to acknowledge that we must each take care of our own houses before we help take care of the neighbourhood,” Johnson said.

“As we seek to make America safer, stronger and more prosperous, we will encourage all our friends and allies to do the same in and for their own countries.

“The survival of the West will depend upon that.”

Johnson did not specifically reference Ukraine in his remarks.

His remarks come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a day earlier that Ukraine and Europe would be part of any “real negotiations” to end Moscow’s war. Rubio played down European concerns of being cut out of initial talks between Russia and the United States in the coming days.

Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv.

Trump said last week he had held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without consulting European nations, to discuss bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.