La Haye: US President Donald Trump was launched on Tuesday at the top of NATO Hague, with allies hoping that the commitment to strengthen defense expenses will maintain the unpredictable leader in the military superpower committed to protecting them.
Trump joined leaders of the 31 other NATO members to start the two-day rally with a dinner organized by the Dutch King Willem-Alexander in the Ornée Orange Hall of his royal residence.
The alliance hopes to keep Trump linked to his mutual defense wish by responding to his request for a figure of five percent of GDP on defense expenses.
But Trump refused to say that he was attached to the clause of article five of NATO and to protect Europe, in comments likely to shake off his counterparts on the continent.
“It depends on your definition. There are many definitions of article five,” Trump told journalists aboard the Air Force One. “I am determined to be their friend.”
To keep Trump on board, NATO members expressed a compromise agreement to devote 3.5% to the main military needs by 2035 and 1.5% to wider areas related to security such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.
NATO states that military construction is crucial to dissuade Russia, which officials quickly warn its forces exhausted by the war in Ukraine and could be ready to attack the Alliance in five years.
But it is just as important to keep Trump hired, because Washington warns that this could move the forces of Europe to cope with the threat of China.
“They will lift it up to five percent, it’s good,” said Trump. “It gives them much more power.”
Although the promise of more expenses can win Trump, deep divisions remain on the approach of the key security problem of Europe: the Russian war in Ukraine.
Trump said he would probably meet the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in The Hague, kyiv hoping to avoid a repetition of the infamous bust of the Oval Office of the Pair.
‘Radical uncertainty’
The head of the European Commission, Ursula, Von Der Leyen, told the Hague audience that the “historic” NATO spending has shown that “defense Europe has finally awakened”.
The leaders of the Alliance meanwhile – many of whom have trouble finding the money that will be necessary – aligned themselves to affirm that the threats facing the continent required daring measures.
“We have to navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announcing the UK’s commitment to achieve the goal.
On Wednesday, Starmer will officially announce that his country buys a dozen F-35A fighters, capable of transporting atomic weapons, to support the nuclear mission of NATO.
The purchase marks an expansion of nuclear deterrence from Great Britain, which is currently limited to submarine missiles.
A press release Tuesday evening from the Starmer office quoted Rutte saying: “I strongly welcome today’s announcement”, calling it “yet another solid British contribution to NATO”.
In addition, Powerhouse Germany announced its intention to hit the figure of 3.5% for basic defense needs by 2029 – six years ahead of the calendar.
At the other end of the scale, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez risked the anger of Trump by insisting that his country does not have to reach the objective of five percent.
For its part, the Kremlin attacked NATO for its “creeping militarization”, the spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying: “It is the reality that surrounds us.”
Trump-Zelensky meeting
Since the assault to power, Trump upset the approach of the West to the three -year conflict by turning his back to kyiv and opening the door to narrower links with Moscow.
Zelensky had to play less a central role than during the recent NATO gatherings and will not attend the main working session.
But the president of Ukraine said that he would discuss Trump for the purchase of a set of weapons, mainly aerial defenses.
Zelensky also pushes Trump to impose new sanctions on Russia, while Moscow blocked the peace efforts supported by Washington, kyiv said.
“There is no sign that Putin wants to arrest this war. Russia rejects all the peace proposals, including those of the United States. Putin only thinks of the war,” the Ukrainian chief told a defense forum held alongside the summit.
Trump has briefly met on the sidelines of the summit Tuesday evening with Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who urged the “close dialogue” to end the Ukraine Russian conflict.
Rutte said the Allies would send the message that kyiv support was “unshakable and persist”.
But despite its insistence on the fact that Ukraine’s membership offer remains “irreversible”, NATO will avoid any mention of kyiv’s push to join after Trump has excluded it.
