THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday will meet with members of a NATO alliance that he has worked to bend to his will over the years and whose members are rattled by his latest comments casting doubt on the U.S. commitment to its mutual defense guarantees.
Trump’s comments en route to the Netherlands that his fidelity to Article 5 “depends on your definition” are likely to draw a spotlight at the NATO summit, as will the new and fragile Iran-Israel ceasefire that Trump helped broker after the U.S. unloaded airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
At the same time, the alliance is poised to enact one of Trump’s chief priorities for NATO: a pledge by its member countries to increase, sometimes significantly, how much they spend on their defense.
“NATO was broke, and I said, ‘You’re going to have to pay,’” Trump said Tuesday. “And we did a whole thing, and now they’re paying a lot. Then I said, ‘You’re going to have to lift it to 4% or 5%, and 5% is better.’”
NATO Summit: What to Know
NATO has been the pillar of U.S.-Europe military cooperation since 1949. Now, the second Donald Trump administration is pushing European members to increase their defense responsibilities. Conversations at this week’s NATO Summit in The Hague are likely to involve U.S. deployments in Europe, potential troop withdrawals, and the long-term future of the alliance.
As members convene today in The Hague, CFR experts offer analysis about how European NATO allies should prepare for the summit, how the summit will proceed given uncertain global geopolitical environments, and more below.
The Hague Summit and the Future of NATO
Weathering the Storm: The Hague Summit and the Future of NATO
The World Needs a Stronger NATO
How to Make NATO More European
How to End the Russia-Ukraine War
NATO ‘Should Be Honest’ With Ukraine on Membership
The Limits of Putin’s Ambitions