By David Crowe
London: European leaders have arranged a royal welcome for US President Donald Trump, including an overnight stay at a Dutch palace, even as he wavers on whether America would come to their aid in a time of war.
In a day of outright flattery and calculated generosity, Trump was given a sudden upgrade at a pivotal defence summit in The Netherlands so he could stay with King Willem-Alexander at the palace, Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague.
US President Donald Trump talks to Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte (rear centre), at the summit in The Hague on Tuesday.Credit: AP
But the president startled observers at the NATO summit by casting doubt on the key principle of mutual defence, central to the American pact with European allies since 1949.
He arrived at the summit after posting lavish praise from NATO General-Secretary Mark Rutte for his “truly extraordinary” decision to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran.
The American attack has worried European leaders, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning it would increase the risk of a secret Iranian weapons program and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer offering no clear endorsement for the bombings.
Rutte, however, heaped praise on Trump in a private message that Trump later posted on his social media site, Truth Social, in an apparent attempt to show the depth of support for his decision.
“Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary and something no one else dared to do. It makes us safer,” Rutte wrote.
Crucially, the NATO chief also praised Trump for demanding European leaders promise to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP – a pledge most countries are expected to endorse when the summit ends on Wednesday.
“Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world,” Rutte said in the message.
“You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”
The NATO summit has been arranged to meet Trump’s objectives, with the defence spending agreement mostly arranged, the agenda stripped back to minimise lengthy sessions and the royal palace put to good use.
NATO heads of state and government attend a dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague.Credit: AP
Trump joined NATO leaders for a banquet at the palace on Tuesday night, Netherlands time, while also accepting an invitation from Willem-Alexander to stay the night rather than staying at a previously arranged hotel.
Donald Trump arrives for dinner during the NATO summit on Tuesday.Credit: AP
The defence spending pledge remains deeply contentious, however, after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned about the cost of lifting outlays from 2 per cent of GDP today to 5 per cent by 2035.
Slovak Republic Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, rejected the target.
“In a period of restoring public finances and catching up with the average living standard in the EU, the Slovak Republic has other priorities in the coming years than armament,” he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to reach the 5 per cent goal by 2029, while Macron has backed the benchmark and pointed to the long-term threat from Russia.
“We will have to rise to these challenges,” Macron and Merz wrote in a joint statement in the Financial Times, adding an oblique reference to Trump.
“Not because someone asks us to, but because we are clear-eyed and owe it to our citizens to do so.”
Huis ten Bosch Palace staff roll up the red carpet used to welcome US President Donald Trump.Credit: Getty Images
Starmer has come to the summit with a bold increase in the UK’s ability to use nuclear weapons as a deterrent against adversaries, confirming plans to buy a dozen F-35A fighter jets from the US and equip them to carry nuclear as well as conventional weapons.
“In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted,” he said. While the UK has nuclear-armed submarines, the plan marks the first time in decades that the Royal Air Force would carry nuclear arms.
Trump has blamed Europe for spending too little on defence, but wavered on the way to The Hague when asked if he supported Article 5 of the NATO founding treaty, which specifies that members will assist a country that comes under attack.
Asked if he supported Article 5, Trump told reporters on Air Force One: “It depends on your definition. There’s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right?”
Article 5 states: “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”
In the same exchange with journalists, Trump revealed he had spoken to Putin about the attacks on Iran and expressed his frustration with the Russian leader about the war in Ukraine.
“Vladimir called me up, he said: ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I said: ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran, I need help with you’.
“And I hope we’re going to be getting a deal done with Russia.”
Trump is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the summit, in the first face-to-face meeting since they spoke at the Vatican when they both attended the funeral for Pope Francis in April.
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