President Trump is traveling to Brussels on Tuesday for a busy NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. This comes right after he declared that Iran and Israel have reached a ceasefire agreement.
During the summit, the president aimed to get a pledge from NATO allies to dedicate at least 5% of their GDP to defense. However, just before his arrival, the alliance had already agreed to increase defense spending. Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, informed reporters on Monday that, due to Trump’s influence, NATO is “on track” to make this “historic commitment” of 5%.
As of 2023, the U.S. allocates around 3.4% of its GDP for defense, but Trump believes that the U.S. should not aim for the same 5% target.
“We’ve been supporting NATO for a long time, and in many cases, I think we are covering almost 100% of the expenses,” he commented to the press on Friday. “So, I don’t believe we should, but I definitely think NATO countries should.”
Still, there isn’t a clear timeline for when the 5% commitment will be realized, with some NATO nations possibly not hitting that goal until the 2030s, raising concerns that the promise may be unfulfilled.
In addition to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains a major issue for NATO members. It’s uncertain if the U.S. will endorse language that identifies Russia as the primary threat to NATO in its statement—Whitaker sidestepped a reporter’s question on that topic.
“Discussions about the statement are still ongoing, so I can’t comment on specific phrasing,” Whitaker mentioned, adding, “I expect the summit’s declaration will be clear, focused, and will represent Allies’ current threat evaluations, emphasizing both collective and individual defense.”
He emphasized that the U.S. is “urging restraint” and encouraging both sides to prevent escalation, noting that the U.S. is “involved at high levels” while supporting direct discussions between Russia and Ukraine.
The day before the summit, on Saturday, the U.S. conducted strikes against three Iranian sites believed to be pivotal to Iran’s nuclear program. While this action raised concerns about a broader conflict, Iran’s reaction on Monday was muted. Iran fired over a dozen missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar, with most being intercepted, and no injuries were reported, according to U.S. and Qatari officials.
Trump described the retaliatory strikes as “very weak” and expressed gratitude to Iran for the advance warning, which prevented any casualties. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, also took to social media after the strikes to declare, “We didn’t harm anyone.”
Shortly afterwards, Trump announced that Iran and Israel would commence a ceasefire and likely bring the conflict to an end.
The NATO summit will consist of a single session lasting two and a half hours, diverging from the usual format of multiple sessions. Trump is also expected to have separate meetings with several world leaders during the event, as informed by a senior U.S. official on a conference call.
The president departs for the summit early Tuesday morning and is scheduled to return on Wednesday.
NATO, short for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, stands as the largest defense alliance globally, comprising 32 member nations, including the U.S. Established in the aftermath of World War II, it has expanded over the years, with Finland joining in 2023 and Sweden anticipated to follow in 2024. Supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression has been a crucial focus for NATO, despite Ukraine not being a member.
