At a recent NATO summit in The Hague, the alliance's head, Mark Rutte, lauded former U.S. President Donald Trump for his pivotal role in pushing member states to agree to a significant increase in defence spending. The leaders are expected to endorse a new, higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP, a long-standing demand championed by Mr. Trump. Mark Rutte expressed his gratitude to the US president, stating that this crucial development, aimed at ensuring collective security and equitable contributions with the United States, "wouldn't have happened" had Trump not been elected in 2016 and re-elected last year. Trump hailed the decision as a "great victory for everybody," asserting that "NATO is going to become very strong with us" and reaffirming, "We're with them all the way."

The praise for Trump followed earlier comments where he cast doubt on his commitment to NATO's mutual defence guarantees, specifically Article 5, telling reporters en route to the summit that there were "numerous definitions" of the clause. Article 5 mandates members to defend each other from attack. Trump had stated on Air Force One, "I'm committed to saving lives. I'm committed to life and safety. And I'm going to give you an exact definition when I get there." Despite these ambiguous remarks, Mr. Rutte later insisted that Trump was "totally committed" to Article 5, asserting, "For me, there is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO, totally committed to Article 5."

Beyond defence spending, discussions at the summit were also set to be dominated by escalating tensions between Israel and Iran amidst a fragile ceasefire. Reports from several news outlets, citing US intelligence, suggested that American attacks on Iran's nuclear programme over the weekend had only set it back by a few months, contrary to Mr. Trump's earlier assertion that it was "obliterated." Trump acknowledged the intelligence as "very inconclusive," adding, "The intelligence says we don't know. It could've been very severe. That's what the intelligence suggests. It was very severe. There was obliteration." Ahead of his summit appearance, Trump had shared a message from Rutte congratulating him for his "decisive action in Iran," alongside his push for increased defence spending, with Rutte remarking, "You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win."

All NATO members have backed a statement enshrining the 5% defence spending target, to be achieved over the next 10 years, though Spain has indicated it will not meet this goal. Rutte acknowledged the financial challenges for countries in funding this hike but underscored its vital importance in light of European fears regarding an increasing threat from Russia, particularly following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He stated, "There is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that given this threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative." UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, also in attendance, emphasized that NATO remains "as relevant and important today as it has ever been" in a "very volatile world," stressing the importance of NATO's unity and strength.