US National Security Strategy

Lord Hannay of Chiswick Excerpts

Tuesday 16th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I am sure that my friends and colleagues at the MoD will be undertaking such an assessment, and I will pass that request on to them. I think they are best placed to do that, but as the noble Lord said, there are many complex things going on in politics in any country, and the US is no different.

[Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)]

My Lords, does the Minister admit that there is a really rather sharp discrepancy between the lack of virtually any mention in the national security strategy of relations with Russia, and what was said by the head of MI6 and the Chief of the Defence Staff here yesterday, with which I strongly concur: that Russia, having invaded a European country, is a genuine threat to this country? Should we not be discussing this rather wide discrepancy with the United States?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

Clearly, it is for the United States to make its own assessment of risks to the US. We have, as my noble friend says, made our own assessment of the threat Russia poses. We do of course discuss these things constantly with the US, but as I say, it is for the US to make its own judgments about the threat to it.