President Donald Trump will take center stage on the second day of the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, adopting a more congenial tone toward the alliance than in the past.
He is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte and other global leaders, followed by a press briefing. Trump also mentioned he will “probably” greet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the summit as part of Ukraine’s ongoing bid to join NATO.
In message exchanges released by Trump, Rutte praised him for “making Europe pay in a big way,” referring to the newly agreed target for NATO allies to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP, and for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Rutte wrote:
“Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran… It makes us all safer.”
NATO countries initially pledged in 2006 to spend 2% of GDP on defense, a target many missed. Now, under Trump’s influence, members have agreed — with Spain exempted — to raise commitments to 3.5% for core defense and 1.5% for supporting infrastructure like cyber and intelligence systems.
For context, Poland currently spends about 4.1% of its GDP on defense, and the U.S. itself stands at roughly 3.4%. Trump clarified that he doesn’t believe the U.S. needs to reach the 5% threshold, echoing Rutte’s sentiment that America is already contributing its fair share.
This NATO Summit marks Trump’s first since returning to office for a second term.
With input from Fox News
