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The Head of NATO Thinks President Trump ‘Deserves All the Praise'
The Head of NATO Thinks President Trump ‘Deserves All the Praise'

New York Times

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • New York Times

The Head of NATO Thinks President Trump ‘Deserves All the Praise'

There is no doubt that President Trump has had an electrifying effect on NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded after World War II to act as a bulwark against the Soviet Union. In theory, its member nations — 32 of them now, including most European countries, Canada, Turkey and the United States — are bound by a pledge of common defense: The alliance's most famous provision, known as Article 5, states that an attack on one member country would obligate the response of all. In practice, however, the United States is by far the most important member. For the 76 years of NATO's existence, America has provided the troops, intelligence, logistics and nuclear arsenal that makes the alliance work. Trump, however, has long been a NATO skeptic. He has excoriated NATO as a financial drain on the United States, and it was reported that several times during his first term he even privately threatened to withdraw from it. Lately he has demanded that NATO nations pay much more for their own defense and has questioned whether the United States would come to Europe's aid if Russia invaded a member country. Mark Rutte is the man who has been tasked with keeping Trump happy while setting up NATO for a new, more dangerous era in which Russia has expansionist ambitions, the United States is seen as less reliable and Europe is woefully underprepared to fight its own battles. He became NATO's secretary general late last year after 14 years of serving as prime minister of the Netherlands, where his longevity as a right-of-center leader earned him the nickname Teflon Mark. I recently met Rutte at NATO headquarters in Brussels after a pivotal summit at which NATO members pledged to spend 5 percent of their G.D.P. on defense by 2035, up from the required 2 percent now. It's a number that Trump demanded, and Rutte delivered. But the biggest headlines out of the summit were actually about Rutte's relationship with Trump. Before the summit, Trump posted on Truth Social a highly complimentary private text message that Rutte sent him about the American bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. And then, during the meeting, Rutte joked that Trump acted as a 'daddy' to misbehaving Middle Eastern nations, which Trump clearly loved — Trump's fund-raising committee even started selling 'Daddy' T-shirts. For some observers, this all was evidence that Rutte is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Trump happy, even though the United States is reportedly considering moving thousands of troops out of Europe and, just after I spoke to Rutte, announced that it is halting more weapons shipments to Ukraine. Whatever his motivations, what was clear to me in our conversation is that Rutte is not interested in alienating the American president. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | iHeart | NYT Audio App Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

NATO leaders agree to hike military spending and restate ‘ironclad commitment' to collective defence
NATO leaders agree to hike military spending and restate ‘ironclad commitment' to collective defence

CTV News

time25-06-2025

  • Business
  • CTV News

NATO leaders agree to hike military spending and restate ‘ironclad commitment' to collective defence

U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attend a plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) THE HAGUE, Netherlands — NATO leaders agreed on Wednesday on a massive hike in defence spending after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and expressed their 'ironclad commitment' to come to each other's aid if attacked. The 32 leaders endorsed a final summit statement saying: 'Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.' Spain had already officially announced that it cannot meet the target, and others have voiced reservations, but the investment pledge includes a review of spending in 2029 to monitor progress and reassess the security threat posed by Russia. The leaders also underlined their 'ironclad commitment' to NATO's collective security guarantee – 'that an attack on one is an attack on all.' Ahead of the summit, Trump had again raised doubts over whether the United States would defend its allies. The show of unity vindicated NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte's billing of the summit as 'transformational,' even though it papered over divisions. The spending pledge sets European allies and Canada on a steep path toward significant military investment. The spending hike requires each countries to spend billions of dollars. It comes as the United States — NATO's biggest-spending member — shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere, notably in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. But ahead of the meeting, Spain announced that it would not be able to reach the target by the new 2035 deadline, calling it 'unreasonable.' Belgium signaled that it would not get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defence spending. Many European countries face major economic challenges, and Trump's global tariff war could make it even harder for America's allies to reach their targets. Some countries are already squeezing welfare and foreign aid spending to channel extra funds into their military budgets. On Tuesday, Trump complained that 'there's a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly.' He has also criticized Canada 'a low payer.' In 2018, a NATO summit during Trump's first term unraveled due to a dispute over defence spending. But Rutte conceded that 'these are difficult decisions. Let's be honest. I mean, politicians have to make choices in scarcity. And this is not easy.' But he said: 'given the threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative.' Russia's neighbours lead the pack in boosting spending Other countries closer to the borders of Russia and Ukraine — Poland, the three Baltic states and Nordic countries — have committed to the goal, as have NATO's European heavyweights Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. 'This is a big win, I think, for both President Trump and I think it's also a big win for Europe,' Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters. 'We're witnessing the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO.' He said it would take nations 'back to the defence expenditure levels of the Cold War.' NATO countries started to cut their military budgets in safer times after the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989. In a fresh take on Trump's MAGA movement, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said: 'We should choose a motto, 'make NATO great again.'' After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the NATO allies agreed to make 2% of GDP the minimum spending level. Last year, 22 countries were expected to hit that target, up from just three a decade ago. In The Hague, the allies endorsed a major revamp of their spending targets. They upped the ante for what NATO calls 'core defence spending' to 3.5%, while changing how it's counted to include providing military support to Ukraine. To hit Trump's 5% demand, the deal set a second target of 1.5% of GDP for a broader range of defence-related spending, such as improving roads, bridges, ports and airfields so that armies can deploy more quickly, countering cyber and hybrid attack measures, or preparing societies to deal with future conflicts. Progress will be reviewed in 2029, after the next U.S. presidential elections. 'This declaration is historic. We are 32 allies supporting that ambition, which is huge,' said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. 'We have been struggling to get above 2% and now we said 3.5%, which is necessary in order to reach our capabilities.' Earlier this month, NATO agreed individual purchasing targets for nations to stock up on weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of the U.S. push to ramp up security spending. U.S. decision on forces in Europe expected in coming months Extra funds will also be needed should the Trump administration announce a draw-down of forces in Europe, where around 84,000 U.S. troops are based, leaving European allies to plug any security gaps. The Pentagon is expected to announce its intentions in coming months. Beyond Trump's demands, European allies and Canada have steeply ramped up defence spending out of concern about the threated posed by Russia. Several countries are concerned that Russia could carry out an attack on NATO territory by the end of the decade. Hungary is not one of them, though. 'I think Russia is not strong enough to represent a real threat to us. We are far stronger,' said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, fielding questions from reporters, leaning back with his hands thrust into his pockets. Orbán is considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe. Mike Corder, Sylvie Corbet, Molly Quell And Lorne Cook, The Associated Press

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