The overriding focus of the gathering -- which kicks off with dinner hosted by the Dutch king -- has been on keeping Trump happy after his return to power sparked fears he could blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance.
But despite the careful planning the meeting still risks being overshadowed by the fallout from Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
To give him a headline victory, NATO’s 32 countries have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas like cybersecurity and infrastructure.
- Deep divisions -
In a joint Financial Times op-ed on the summit’s eve, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz likewise argued that Europe must rearm “not because someone asks us to, but because we are clear-eyed and owe it to our citizens to do so”.
But Rutte stressed Spain had not been granted an “opt-out” from the pledge.
“This summit is really about NATO’s credibility and we are urging all of our allies to step up to the plate and pay their fair share for transatlantic security.”
Since storming back 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, who had an infamous Oval Office bust-up with Trump, has been downgraded from the central role he played at recent NATO gatherings.
Rutte said the summit would still send the message that support for Kyiv was “unwavering and will persist”.
But despite Rutte’s insistence that Ukraine’s bid for membership remains “irreversible”, the alliance will avoid any mention of Kyiv’s push to join after Trump ruled it out.
The push to make sure the United States remains on the same page comes as Washington is weighing whether to pull forces from Europe as it focuses more on the threat from China.
The Pentagon is set to announce the results of a review of its global deployments later in the year -- but diplomats at NATO say they don’t expect Trump to make any announcements in The Netherlands.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( NATO summit seeks to keep Trump happy -- and alliance united )
Also on site :