NATO summit’s core objective is to reassure Trump is pleased
(MENAFN) NATO leaders are convening in The Hague with a dual goal: maintaining alliance cohesion and ensuring continued support from U.S. President Donald Trump. With rising global instability, particularly over Iran, the summit’s core objective is to reassure Trump of NATO’s relevance and commitment to defense spending.
The gathering, which began with a dinner hosted by the Dutch monarch, has been strategically planned to minimize friction with the U.S. president. Efforts include addressing his demands on military budgets and even limiting the involvement of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to avoid potential tension.
A key focus will be delivering on Trump’s insistence that NATO members significantly increase defense expenditures. In response, alliance members have brokered a compromise: a collective target of allocating 5% of GDP to security, with 3.5% devoted to traditional military capabilities and 1.5% directed toward areas such as cyber defense and strategic infrastructure, to be achieved by 2035.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte described the agreement as “a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future.” He also warned that the alliance must prepare for the possibility of a Russian offensive within the next five years.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed this urgency, emphasizing the need for rapid adaptation during what he called a time of “radical uncertainty.” In a joint opinion article published on the eve of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized the importance of European rearmament—not simply to satisfy external pressures, but out of responsibility to their citizens.
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