NATO Summit Opens With Pledge to Boost Defense Spending Amid Global Crises

NATO leaders opened a two-day summit in the Netherlands on Tuesday, seeking to solidify a historic pledge to increase defense spending, a move seen as a major concession to US President Donald Trump, even as concerns about Ukraine’s future, widening Middle East conflicts, and transatlantic unity overshadowed the gathering, the Associated Pres reported. 

The summit, held in The Hague, centers on a proposal to raise defense spending to five percent of each member state’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035. The proposal has been billed as a way to strengthen NATO’s ability to deter threats ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine to tensions in the Middle East.  

While key members such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have endorsed the goal, others have voiced reservations. Spain has called the target “unreasonable,” and received an exception, while Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide how to reach the aim.  

The United States, which spent about 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense in 2023, supports the pledge in principle but Trump has said the US should not be bound by the same target, citing America’s outsized role in NATO funding. 

Despite these divisions, the alliance’s formal communique is expected to include the five percent commitment.  

“It’s a historic moment,” said US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, calling it “one of the most consequential moments in this alliance’s history” and a sign of a “renaissance” in allied defense investment. 

Trump is expected to meet several world leaders on the sidelines, possibly including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Observers noted that NATO has scaled down Zelenskyy’s profile this year to avoid friction with Trump, who has publicly criticized the Ukrainian leader and frozen military aid, CBS News wrote. 

Zelenskyy met with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who announced a new military aid package including 100 drone-detection radar systems and plans to co-produce drones using Ukrainian specifications.  

Still, Ukraine’s long-term position remains tenuous: At the 2023 summit, NATO promised an “irreversible” path to membership, but Ukraine’s accession bid is now off the agenda.  

Meanwhile, European officials are attempting to broker a deal allowing Ukraine or European states to finance future US arms deliveries to Kyiv, according to the Washington Post. 

However, officials noted that Trump’s aides are reluctant to approve any action that could derail his broader diplomatic aims, including potential negotiations with Russia. 

Russia’s military has intensified its bombing campaign in recent weeks, taking advantage of Ukraine’s thinning air defenses. NATO officials believe Ukraine could hold defensive lines for another year. 

Observers noted that the summit was also overshadowed by the conflict between Israel and Iran that erupted on June 13, which has sparked concerns of a broader war in the Middle East. 

Late Monday, Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire following weeks of escalating attacks between the two, as well as US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites and a limited Iranian response on a US airbase in Qatar. Trump said Israel would halt further strikes and that the ceasefire was “in effect.”  

Even so, on Tuesday, the ceasefire appeared to be in trouble as both sides traded accusations of attacks shortly after it took effect. Trump said that both Israel and Iran had violated the agreement, adding that he wasn’t sure they did so intentionally, and warned Israel specifically to stop striking Iran.  

These developments diverted some summit attention from Ukraine, though NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte insisted the alliance could manage multiple conflicts simultaneously. 

At the same time, the summit took place amid a series of transport disruptions in the Netherlands that Dutch officials said could be due to sabotage, Politico noted. 

On Tuesday, a cable system damaged by fire caused widespread train disruptions near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. 

Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said authorities are investigating the incident.  

Tuesday’s incident followed cyberattacks on several Dutch municipalities by pro-Russian hacktivist group NoName057(16), which has targeted NATO states in recent months.