To Europe’s relief, Trump leaves the NATO summit feeling good vibes

The Hague, THE NETHERLANDS – US President Donald Trump managed to create a NATO that vibes with his vision and is shaped to his liking.

NATO allies did endorse a historic plan to boost defence spending from its current level of 2% to at least 3.5%, plus an additional 1.5% for infrastructure. But the real accomplishment for Europeans at the summit was surviving the commander-in-chief – who once called the Alliance "obsolete" – and managing to avoid a costly diplomatic train wreck.

Much of the credit for the summit’s smooth choreography goes to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who engineered a brisk and tight schedule that catered to Trump's attention span and deployed every available tactic to flatter and pamper him – from putting him up in a suite at the Dutch royal palace to singing his praises at every opportunity.

“This is a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance that NATO leaders have begun to build,” Rutte said after the summit talks.

“Trump made it clear: America is committed to NATO," Rutte said. But the president also "made clear that America expects European allies and Canada to contribute more. And that is exactly what we see them doing."

After the talks, Trump was quick to claim full credit for cajoling NATO allies – whom he's accused of freeloading off American power – into increasing their defence spending. He hailed the deal as "a monumental win' for Washington.

Just a day earlier, Trump had sown confusion by once again questioning America's commitment to NATO's mutual defence clause while en route to The Hague aboard Air Force One.

Then, 24 hours later, Trump proudly came out with a clearer message to allies: "We're with them all the way." According to accounts from within the room at the leaders' meeting, Trump struck a very friendly tone with counterparts.

This fleeting sense of relative harmony comes at a price for some. The US president’s satisfaction is underwritten by the discomfort of others. NATO's new pledge includes a review of spending by 2029 that will take into account a reassessment of the security threat posed by Russia, leaving the door open for further adjustments down the line.

On the radar: Spain

The language appeared to leave Spain enough wiggle room to keep spending just 2.1%, as long as the Spanish military delivers the capabilities required by the alliance. Either side can claim a win, at least for now.

Trump, however, made clear on Wednesday that he won't let Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez off the hook. He vowed trade retaliation over Madrid’s perceived foot-dragging.

“We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We’re going to make them pay twice as much. And I’m actually serious about that,” Trump said at his post-summit remarks. “They want a little bit of a free ride," he added, "but I’m not going to let that happen.”

Another vibe shift: Ukraine.

In contrast to the Vilnius summit in 2023 or Washington in 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was sidelined from the main session, an apparent concession to Trump’s preferences.

The relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy has long been testy, and devolved into a catastrophe with a fiery public clash during the Ukrainian leader's White House visit in late February.

But a much-anticipated one-on-one meeting between the two in The Hague passed without incident, and both Trump and Zelenskyy described their conversation as "good."

No concrete achievements came from the meeting, but even a pleasant chat can be a modest diplomatic achievement when personal chemistry can dictate international outcomes.

All appears to be well in Trump's Alliance. "I came here because it was something I am supposed to be doing, but I left here differently," Trump told reporters before boarding the flight back home.

"I left here saying that these people really love their countries, it's not a rip-off, and we're here to help them protect their country."

(bts, mm)