U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised an expected NATO agreement on increased defence spending as a “great victory for everyone,” striking a notably conciliatory tone at the alliance’s summit in The Hague.
With leaders of NATO’s 32 member states gathered, the summit appeared meticulously orchestrated to keep Trump aligned with allies. The official agenda was trimmed, and the U.S. President was hosted overnight at the royal palace in a clear gesture of diplomacy.
The key outcome of the summit — a pledge for NATO countries to boost defence expenditure to five percent of GDP by 2035 — received Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement.
“It’s a great victory for everybody,” Trump declared. “We will be equalised very shortly, and that’s the way it has to be.”
Trump has long pressed allies to increase their military budgets, frequently accusing Europe of underspending while relying on U.S. protection. On Wednesday, he lauded the five percent target as a breakthrough.
“I’ve been asking them to go up to five percent for a number of years, and they’re going up to five percent… I think that’s going to be very big news,” he added.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who hosted the summit, said Trump was in “excellent mood” during Tuesday’s royal dinner with King Willem-Alexander. Trump echoed the sentiment on his Truth Social platform, describing the Dutch royals as “spectacular people” and calling their breakfast meeting “great.”
Leaders including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever hailed the defence spending deal as a historic shift.
“As Europeans, we should realise that our long break from history is over,” De Wever said. “Europe must take responsibility for its own security in these very difficult times.”
The proposed breakdown includes 3.5 percent of GDP for traditional defence costs — just above current U.S. spending — with an additional 1.5 percent allocated for cyber defence and security infrastructure.
Yet tensions lingered over the alliance’s core principle: Article 5, which affirms that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all. Trump raised eyebrows when he told reporters en route to The Hague that adherence to Article 5 “depends on your definition. There are numerous definitions.”
Rutte quickly downplayed the ambiguity, saying the U.S. remains “totally committed” to collective defence. When pressed directly at a bilateral meeting, Trump affirmed:
“We’re with them all the way.”
British Prime Minister Starmer declined to comment directly on Trump’s stance, instead emphasizing NATO unity:
“We live in a very volatile world, and today is about the unity of NATO, showing that strength.”
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Rutte reportedly sent a highly complimentary message to Trump, which the U.S. president later posted on social media.
“Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win,” Rutte wrote.
Ukraine’s war with Russia also cast a shadow over the summit. While President Volodymyr Zelensky maintained a lower profile than at previous meetings, Trump noted he would meet the Ukrainian leader on the sidelines.
“He’s a nice guy,” Trump said. “I’m also talking to Putin. I think progress is being made.”
Despite reaffirming support for Kyiv, NATO leaders are expected to omit any firm language on Ukraine’s accession to the alliance, following Trump’s opposition.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has cultivated close ties with Moscow, made his stance clear:
“NATO has no business in Ukraine,” he said. “My job is to keep it as it is.”
As the summit continues, alliance leaders aim to strike a balance between unity, deterrence, and accommodation, in a world increasingly shaped by shifting power dynamics and competing geopolitical narratives.
