British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday he would act in the country’s national interest “whatever the noise” after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO.

“Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in the decisions that I make,” Starmer told reporters.

Speaking at a press conference addressing public concerns over rising energy costs, Starmer said global instability caused by the war in Iran meant Britain should align more closely with the European Union on security and economic matters.

“The impact of the war will define us for a generation,” Starmer said, warning that it could resemble the rise in energy prices in the 1970s. “We want to be more ambitious, closer economic cooperation, closer security cooperation, a partnership that recognises our shared values, our shared interest and our shared future” with the EU, he added.

Trump on Tuesday criticised European countries that refused to join his war against Iran, singling out Britain and France, as transatlantic relations deteriorated amid the conflict that has driven up energy prices. The U.S. president warned Britain and other nations to “start learning how to fight for yourself” because the U.S. “won’t be there to help you anymore.”

Starmer said Britain’s Labour government aimed to reset relations with the EU, adding that the Brexit deal agreed by the previous Conservative administration in 2020 had caused “deep damage to our economy.”