NATO leaders pledged on Wednesday to significantly boost defense spending, handing President Donald Trump a political victory at a carefully choreographed summit in the Netherlands.
The agreement to increase defense budgets to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 marked a sharp escalation from the current 2 percent target. Trump, who has long criticized allies for underfunding the alliance, called the commitment “very big news” and a step toward a “very strong” NATO.
But even as leaders moved to meet his demands, Trump reignited doubts about his stance on the alliance’s collective defense clause. Speaking aboard Air Force One before arriving, the U.S. president wavered when asked about Article 5, saying, “It depends on your definition” and adding that he was “committed to being their friends and helping them.”
His comments fueled unease among European allies already wary of Trump’s transactional approach to international partnerships.
The summit’s host, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, sought to downplay the friction. “There is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO,” he said. Still, the meeting was visibly shaped around keeping Trump engaged — from an abbreviated agenda to a shortened final communiqué stripped of language that might provoke him.
Trump met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though Ukraine’s war with Russia was notably de-emphasized. Rutte, who has known Trump since his days as Dutch prime minister, privately credited him with pushing Europe to invest more in defense. Trump later shared Rutte’s note on social media.
While some leaders privately expressed discomfort with the flattery, few openly challenged the tone. In public, Rutte leaned into the theatrics, backing Trump’s remarks comparing Iran and Israel to brawling children by saying, “Then daddy has to use strong language.”
Despite ongoing skepticism over Trump’s long-term commitment, NATO’s show of unity — however curated — marked a rare moment of alignment between the alliance and a president who once called it “obsolete.”
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