US President Donald Trump has arrived in the Netherlands to take part in the annual NATO summit as European allies look to commit to significantly boosting defense spending to appease Washington.
Trump has been critical of the NATO alliance over the years, accusing European allies of free riding on the coattails of US defense spending and even raising the question of a US withdrawal.
He has demanded that allies spend up to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, a huge jump from the 2 percent target set back in 2014.
SEE ALSO: Defense Spending, Ukraine, And Trump: What To Expect At NATO's Hague SummitA draft of the summit communique reiterates the Article 5 mutual defense pact and states that NATO members will aim to boost defense spending to 5 percent by 2035. This sum will be broken down into two categories with 3.5 percent for traditional defense items such fighter jets, tanks, and missiles and 1.5 percent for “resilience” which can include things like cybersecurity.
"Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a letter to Trump that the US president posted on social media on June 24 before he departed Washington for the Netherlands.
'Trying To Do Our Share,' Says Kallas
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told RFE/RL in an interview that the summit at The Hague "is about one topic and one topic only, which is spending more on defense and this 5 percent." She added that if countries are spending more in defense, they are also able to increase their support to Ukraine.
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EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas Speaks To RFE/RL
Kallas stressed that helping Ukraine actually benefits each member country's own defense, noting that the European Union has upped its support to Ukraine this year compared with last year.
"We have different initiatives, for example the 2 million rounds initiative where 80 percent has already been fulfilled," she said. "So we try to do more. Of course, we can't fill the void that the US is leaving, but we are trying to do our share."
SEE ALSO: Hungary's Veto Casts Shadow Over EU Enlargement TalksNATO countries can expect military aid to Ukraine -- a key topic at the summit taking place -- to be part of their spending commitment, potentially opening the door to a boost in aid to the embattled country.
The increase to 5 percent would likely force many European countries to cut social benefits and public services to prevent their debt loads from rising too quickly. Spain, which spends the least on defense at 1.28 percent, has so far resisted the sharp jump and asked for an exemption.
Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to meet the new defense spending target, saying the world has become “more volatile.”
The UK’s new National Security Strategy, published the same day, said the country must prepare for the possibility of "coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario."
Meanwhile, Germany on June 24 approved a 2025 draft budget and budget framework for 2026, which both include strong commitments to defense spending.
Germany, the largest European member of NATO, had spent less than 1.5 percent on defense during the first two decades of the 21st century.
"We are creating a historic turning point," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, referring to the major increase in defense spending. "The expectations of NATO and our NATO partners toward Germany are high, and rightly so.”
Short Summit
What was supposed to be a three-day-meeting in the Netherlands has now been reduced to a social dinner with spouses hosted by the Dutch King at one of his royal palaces on June 24, followed by one working session of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) the following day. That meeting is not even expected to last three hours.
Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit to discuss Russia’s invasion. Trump has failed to secure a cease-fire -- a key foreign policy priority -- amid pushback by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine wants to make significant purchases of US weaponry, including air defense systems. Trump ran on a promise to end aid to Ukraine but has said he is open to the possibility of selling weapons to the country.
Under former US President Joe Biden, the US allocated $175 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, much of which was spent inside the United States. The Trump administration has not allocated any aid.
Zelenskyy is also expected to push for greater economic sanctions on Russia to get Putin to the negotiating table. Trump has so far held back on sanctioning Russia for its failure to heed his cease-fire call.