US House Speaker Johnson tells West to prioritize national interests

Speaker Mike Johnson: Western survival hinges on national priorities

Robert Besser
21 Feb 2025, 10:05 GMT+10

US House Speaker Johnson tells West to prioritize national interests

Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said this week that Western countries must focus on their national interests first before helping others, which he believes is key to the "survival of the West"
Speaking via video at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London, Johnson said the U.S. can only stay strong and lead the world if its foreign policy puts America first
His comments came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine and Europe would be involved in any real talks to end Russia's war

LONDON, U.K.: Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said this week that Western countries must focus on their national interests first before helping others, which he believes is key to the "survival of the West."

Speaking via video at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London, Johnson said the U.S. can only stay strong and lead the world if its foreign policy puts America first.

"It's just common sense that every country should take care of its own problems before helping others," he said. "As America works to become safer, stronger, and more successful, we will encourage our allies to do the same for their own countries. The survival of the West depends on it."

Johnson did not mention Ukraine in his speech.

His comments came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine and Europe would be involved in any real talks to end Russia's war. Rubio also reassured European nations that they would not be left out of early discussions between the U.S. and Russia.

The U.S. has sent a questionnaire to European governments, asking what they could do to help provide security for Ukraine.

Last week, Trump said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war without informing European leaders in advance.