Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP
Trump to attend NATO summit in The Hague, with defence budget growth to be the main focus
US President Donald Trump has confirmed his participation in the NATO summit to be held on 24-25 June in The Hague (Netherlands). This was announced by White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt, AFP reports.
This will be Trump’s first appearance at such an event since returning to power. He has already stated that he will demand that allies increase defence spending to at least 5% of GDP, which is significantly higher than the current NATO recommendation of 2%.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, ambitious decisions to increase the defence budgets of all 32 member states are expected to be announced in The Hague. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Romanian President Nicușor Dan are also expected to attend, having recently stated that increased defence spending is vital for the security of the region.
Trump, who has repeatedly criticised European partners for “not contributing enough to security”, could make this summit a turning point in shaping NATO’s new defence strategy in the face of Russian threats.
