At the NATO summit in The Hague, U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrated a notable shift in tone by openly expressing support for the alliance and its defense mission—something he had long avoided. He pledged that Russia would never dare to attack as long as he remains president, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to The Washington Post.
According to three European officials familiar with the discussions, Trump opened the main session of the summit with positive remarks on defense spending. He emphasized that the U.S. would stand with its allies “until the end” and that America was “here to help” its European partners. This marked a significant rhetorical reversal compared to his earlier statements, in which he had questioned NATO’s Article 5 on collective defense.
Other leaders at the summit responded positively to Trump’s shift, especially praising his efforts to push for stronger European military budgets. Behind closed doors, heads of state offered compliments, commended his actions against Iran, and echoed the slogan “Make NATO Great Again.” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte even jokingly referred to Trump as “daddy.”
Summit participants agreed to Washington’s long-standing demand to more than double the alliance’s defense spending targets. By 2035, NATO members are now expected to raise spending to 5% of GDP. According to the declaration, up to 1.5% of that may include infrastructure expenses and aid to Ukraine, reflecting what officials called a “creative accounting” approach. Despite concerns voiced by countries like Spain over potential budget strain, the new targets were ultimately approved.
Trump also addressed developments in the Middle East. Amid a temporary ceasefire between Iran and Israel, he celebrated what he saw as a foreign policy success. He backed a photo published by Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission showing the “complete destruction” of facilities in Fordow. However, the president acknowledged that intelligence services couldn’t verify the full scale of the damage and described the reports as “an attempt to guess.”
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the increased defense spending was motivated by the threat from Russia rather than a desire to appease the United States. Still, experts warned that the agreements remain largely declarative and that implementation is postponed until at least 2035. NATO members are expected to use flexible accounting methods to buy time and tailor their strategies to national capacities.
Earlier we wrote that U.S. house rejects impeachment effort against Trump over Iran strikes.