THE HAGUE—After President Donald Trump spooked allies on his flight to the NATO Summit, he recommitted to protecting the defense pact, praising the alliance’s new agreement to increase spending.
“As far as Article Five—look, when I came here, I came here because it was something I’m supposed to be doing, but I left here a little bit differently…I left here saying that these people really love their countries. It’s not a rip-off, and we’re here to help them protect their country,” Trump told reporters Wednesday during the NATO Summit.
The comments may come as a relief to alliance members alarmed by Trump’s refusal to commit to defending NATO allies on his way to the summit. It “depends on your definition” of Article Five, the president said on Tuesday aboard Air Force One.
But few are likely happier than NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who tried to make the summit as Trump-friendly as possible, shortening it to a two-and-half-hour discussion and showering the U.S. leader with praise so fawning it raised eyebrows. Rutte is keen to keep favor with Trump, who has long criticized the alliance, mused about leaving it during his first term, and, last fall, encouraged Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies who spend less than he’d like on defense.
Rutte praised Trump for getting NATO countries to up the alliance’s defense-spending guidelines to 5 percent of GDP: “Would you really think that the seven or eight countries not at 2% at the beginning of this year would have reached the 2% if Trump would not have been elected President of the United States? Do we really think that, of course, there is a threat from the Russians, China, et cetera, et cetera, but that it would be doable to reach this commitment of 5% today?”
Even Rutte’s private flattery came into view when Trump posted a private text message from the NATO chief. In the message, Rutte told Trump that he “will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done” and that “Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.” Rutte later told reporters he was not embarrassed that Trump shared the text messages, and that everything he said was “a statement of fact.”
Trump praised the increase in NATO defense spending at the summit, calling it a “very historic milestone” that “no one really thought possible,” and concurred with Rutte that he is the impetus for the increase.
Even before Trump arrived at the summit, he dominated discussion, while conversation about wars in Ukraine and the Middle East floated in the background. When NATO leaders rolled in Wednesday morning, almost every politician was asked about the president’s Article Five comments, and whether they were worried U.S. protection of their country would hinge on how much money they spend on defense.
Many leaders offered the same answer. Polish President Andrzej Duda: “Article 5 is absolutely clear.” Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof: “Article 5 is very clear.” Elina Valtonen, Finland’s minister of foreign affairs: “Article 5 is quite clearly spelled out.”
But Trump has made it clear that continued U.S. support for NATO members requires them to “equalize” their defense spending with that of the U.S. NATO members officially signed an agreement Wednesday to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP by 2035.
Whether all nations can reach that level, and when, is unclear. World leaders were asked about the feasibility of the 5-percent spending guidelines as they arrived at the summit, and most leaders said it would be achievable—noting that the 2035 deadline gives them plenty of time. But Spain has already said it would opt out of the pledge, and Belgium could also be seeking a flexible spending target. However, Trump said he would force Spain to comply with the NATO increase, and potentially use trade to strong-arm the country.
Trump also seemed to change his tune on Ukraine, putting the onus on Vladimir Putin to end the war. But the president declined to say whether the United States would send more money to Ukraine after the Biden aid runs out: “as far as money goes, we’ll see what happens. There’s a lot of spirit. Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war. People are dying at levels that people haven’t seen before for a long time.”
Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the summit on Wednesday, which Trump said was a “very nice” meeting. “I took from the meeting that he’d like to see it end. I think it’s a great time to end it. I’m going to speak to Vladimir Putin and see if we can get it ended…But he’s fighting a brave battle. It’s a tough battle,” he said.
