United States President Donald Trump swept into NATO’s Hague summit on Tuesday, with allies hoping a pledge to ramp up defense spending will keep the unpredictable leader of the military superpower committed to protecting them.
Trump joined leaders from NATO’s 31 other members to begin the two-day gathering with a dinner hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in the ornate Orange Hall at his royal residence.
The alliance hopes to keep Trump bound to its mutual defense vow by meeting his demand for a headline figure of five percent of GDP on defense spending. However, Trump refused to explicitly state his commitment to NATO’s Article Five clause and protecting Europe, in comments that are likely to rattle his counterparts on the continent.
“Depends on your definition. There are numerous definitions of Article Five,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One. “I’m committed to being their friend.”
To keep Trump on board, NATO members have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent of GDP to core military needs by 2035, and an additional 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.
NATO states that this military build-up is crucial to deter Russia, which officials warn is rapidly rebuilding its forces depleted by the war in Ukraine and could be ready to attack the alliance within five years. However, it is also equally important for maintaining Trump’s engagement, as Washington has warned it may shift forces from Europe to face the growing threat from China.
“They’re going to be lifting it to five percent, that’s good,” Trump said. “It gives them much more power.”
While the promise of increased spending might sway Trump, deep divisions remain over the approach to Europe’s key security issue: Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Trump indicated he would probably meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky while in The Hague, with Kyiv hoping to avoid a repeat of the pair’s infamous Oval Office bust-up.
‘Radical Uncertainty’
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told an audience in The Hague that NATO’s “historic” spending pledge demonstrated that “the Europe of defense has finally awakened.”
Alliance leaders—many of whom are struggling to secure the required funding—lined up to argue that the threats facing the continent necessitated bold steps.
“We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, formally announcing the UK’s commitment to meet the target. On Wednesday, Starmer is set to announce that Britain will purchase a dozen F-35A fighters, capable of carrying atomic weapons, to support NATO’s nuclear mission. This acquisition marks an expansion of Britain’s nuclear deterrence, which is currently limited to submarine-launched missiles.
A statement late Tuesday from Starmer’s office quoted Rutte as saying: “I strongly welcome today’s announcement,” calling it “yet another robust British contribution to NATO.”
Separately, powerhouse Germany announced plans to hit the 3.5-percent figure for core defense needs by 2029—six years ahead of schedule.
At the other end of the spectrum, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has risked incurring Trump’s displeasure by insisting his country doesn’t have to meet the five percent target.
For its part, the Kremlin attacked NATO for its “rampant militarization,” with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating: “This is the reality that surrounds us.”
Trump-Zelensky Meeting
Since his return to power, Trump has upended the West’s approach to the three-year conflict by turning his back on Kyiv and opening the door to closer ties with Moscow.
Zelensky was anticipated to play less of a central role than at recent NATO gatherings and will not attend the main working session. However, Ukraine’s president stated he would discuss with Trump the purchase of a package of weapons, primarily air defenses.
Kyiv also indicated that Zelensky would press Trump to impose new sanctions on Russia, as Moscow has stalled peace efforts backed by Washington. “There are no signs that Putin wants to stop this war. Russia rejects all peace proposals including those from the US. Putin only thinks about war,” the Ukrainian leader told a defense forum held alongside the summit.
Trump did briefly meet on the sidelines of the summit late Tuesday with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who urged “close dialogue” to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Rutte said allies would send the message that support for Kyiv was “unwavering and will persist.” Yet, despite his insistence that Ukraine’s bid for membership remains “irreversible,” NATO will avoid any mention of Kyiv’s push to join, after Trump ruled it out.
