NATO Summit | A Summit for Trump

Trump gives the order, NATO follows. As expected, the Western military alliance decided at its summit in The Hague to massively increase member states' military spending to five percent of their gross domestic product. US President Trump had threatened to withdraw his country from NATO if the agreement was not met. A scenario that alarmed the dependent Europeans and caused them to buckle.

The new military buildup was particularly well received in Eastern Europe. "We must return NATO to its former greatness," commented Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. Together with the other countries on the so-called Eastern Flank, Lithuania intends to erect a new Iron Curtain along the Russian border, complete with a death strip of internationally banned landmines. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cited a Russian threat as the reason for the deep drink from the militarism bottle. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sees the cash infusion as merely the beginning. Now, Rutte said, the war economy must be expanded quickly.

However, not all NATO countries want to participate in the new arms race. Along with Slovakia, Spain is one of the most prominent opponents of the five percent spending measure.

Even before the summit, it was clear that Ukraine would play a secondary role, despite the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky. The country was mentioned only once in the final declaration, in connection with further support. NATO President Rutte said he hoped for €50 billion worth of weapons for Ukraine this year. However, it seems that there is no longer any belief in a victory against Russia. Both Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron hinted that the war will not be decided on the battlefield. In doing so, the Europeans would once again accommodate Trump, who described the situation in Ukraine as "completely out of control" and called for greater engagement.