The Hague: The president of the United States, Donald Trump, arrived at the NATO Hague Summit on Tuesday, with allies with the hope of a promise to increase defense expense will keep the unpredictable leader of military superpower committed to protect them.
Trump joined the leaders of NATO members to begin the two-day meeting with a dinner organized by the Dutch king Willem-Alexander in the Orange Hall ornament in his real residence.
The Alliance expects to keep Trump tied to his mutual defense vote to meet his demand for a main figure of five percent of GDP in defense expense.
But Trump refused to say that he was committed to article five of NATO and the protection of Europe, in comments that probably shake his counterparts in the continent.
“It depends on its definition. There are numerous definitions of article five,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One. “I am committed to being his friend.”
To keep Trump on board, NATO members have eliminated a commitment agreement to dedicate 3.5 percent to central military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader areas related to security, such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.
NATO says that military accumulation is crucial to deter Russia, that officials warn that they are quickly rebuilding their forces exhausted by war in Ukraine and could be ready to attack the alliance in five years.
But it is equally important to keep Trump committed, since Washington warns that Europe’s forces can change to face China’s threat.
“They will take him to five percent, that’s good,” Trump said. “It gives them much more power.”
While the promise of more expenses could beat Trump, deep divisions remain on the focus of Europe’s key security problem: the Russian war in Ukraine.
Trump said he would probably meet with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, while he was in The Hague, with kyiv hoping to avoid a repetition of the infamous office of the couple’s oval office.
‘Radical uncertainty’
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told an audience in the beech that the promise of “historical” expenses of NATO showed that “the Europe of defense has finally awakened.”
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Alliance, many of whom fight to find the money that will be required, aligned to argue that the threats faced by the continent required bold steps.
“We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announcing the United Kingdom’s commitment to fulfill the objective.
On Wednesday, Starmer will formally announce that his country is buying a dozen F-35A combatants, capable of transporting atomic weapons, to support NATO nuclear mission.
The purchase marks an expansion of Great Britain nuclear deterrence, which is currently limited to missiles launched by submarines.
A statement on Tuesday night of the Starmer’s office he summoned Routte saying: “I welcome today’s announcement,” calling him “another British robust contribution to NATO.”
Separately, the powerful Germany announced plans to reach the 3.5 percent figure for central defense needs by 2029, six years earlier than expected.
At the other end of the scale, the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has risked Trump’s anger by insisting that his country does not have to meet the target of five percent.
For its part, the Kremlin attacked NATO for its “unbridled militarization”, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: “This is the reality that surrounds us.”
Trump-Zelensky meeting
Since he returned to power, Trump has overturned the Western approach to the three -year conflict by turning his back on kyiv and opening the door to the closest ties with Moscow.
Zelensky played a central less central role than in the recent NATO meetings and will not attend the main work session.
But the president of Ukraine said he would discuss with Trump the purchase of a package of weapons, mainly aerial defenses.
Zelensky will also push Trump to impose new sanctions on Russia, since Moscow has stagnated the peace efforts that Washington has backed, Kyiv said.
“There are no signs that Putin wants to stop this war. Russia rejects all peace proposals, including those of the United States. Putin only thinks about the war,” said the Ukrainian leader a defense forum that is celebrated together with the summit.
Trump met briefly outside the summit on Tuesday night with the rece tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who urged the “close dialogue” to end the conflict of Russia-Ukraine.
Rutte said the allies would send the message that the support for Kyiv was “unwavering and will persist.”
But despite his insistence that the offer of membership of Ukraine remains “irreversible”, NATO will avoid any mention of kyiv’s impulse to join after Trump ruled out.
