Trump hails ‘great' NATO summit
US President Donald Trump has called NATO's recent summit in The Hague 'great.' Numerous media reports had previously claimed the two-day event was almost solely focused on pleasing the American leader.
'A wonderful day with incredible and caring Leaders,' Trump wrote Truth Social on Thursday, pointing to the NATO members' latest commitment to hike defense spending to 5% of their GDP annually by 2035. He also claimed the meeting earlier this week was 'the most unified and productive in history.'
However, not all NATO members agreed to the defense spending hike demanded by Trump. Spain reached a deal with the bloc just days before the summit that excluded it from the 5% target, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. He had earlier branded Trump's demand 'not only unreasonable but also counterproductive.'
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also said on Tuesday that his nation 'is capable of meeting NATO's requirements even without a substantial increase in defense spending to 5% of GDP.' He also maintained that Bratislava has 'other priorities in the coming years than armament.'
The event was limited to just one working meeting lasting two and a half hours – reportedly because of Trump's dislike for lengthy sessions. The summit was also solely focused on increasing the defense spending of members, one of Trump's key demands on the bloc.
After the meeting, the New York Times reported that the Ukraine conflict was pushed 'to the sidelines' of the event as its organizers sought to cast all controversial topics aside. Kiev's membership ambitions – something that used to be at the forefront of NATO discussions over the past years – were barely mentioned at this year's event and not included in the final declaration.
Some European officials were also unhappy with the level of flattery used by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to win over Trump during the meeting, according to Politico. 'People are so embarrassed,' one official told the outlet, adding that 'the sucking up was pretty over the top.'
Rutte reportedly called Trump 'daddy' during the summit and sent him a gushing message praising the US attack on Iran's nuclear sites ahead of the summit. The US president was quick to post the NATO chief's message online. The White House also shared a clip on social media showing Trump's participation in the summit and accompanied by Usher's song 'Daddy's home'.
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