NATO leaders, including Trump, Meloni and Macron, gather in The Hague for royal photo op
NATO leaders gathered for a group photo with the Dutch Royal family during a dinner ahead of the alliance's summit. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which includes several European countries, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, is meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, for its annual summit. This gathering comes amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and concerns about the future of the United States in the alliance.
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New Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
NATO leaders meet for what could be a historic summit or a divided one
The two-day summit has been overshadowed by Trump's decision to order the bombing of nuclear installations in Iran. In 2003, the U.S.-led war on Iraq deeply divided NATO, as France and Germany led opposition to the attack, while Britain and Spain joined the coalition. A short summit, decades of mutual security The summit in The Hague involved an informal dinner Tuesday and one working session Wednesday morning. A very short summit statement has been drafted to ensure the meeting is not derailed by fights over details and wording. Indeed, much about this NATO summit is brief, even though ripples could be felt for years. Founded in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by 12 nations to counter the threat to security in Europe posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, notably via a strong U.S. presence on the continent. Dealing with Moscow is in its DNA. Keeping the peace outside the Euro-Atlantic area is not. NATO's ranks have grown to 32 countries since the Washington Treaty was signed 75 years ago. Sweden joined last year, worried by an increasingly aggressive Russia. NATO's collective security guarantee — Article 5 of the treaty — underpins its credibility. It's a political commitment by all countries to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack. Trump has suggested he is committed to that pledge, but he has also sowed doubt about his intentions. He has said the U.S. intends to remain a member of the alliance. Asked again on Tuesday whether he would abide by NATO's security guarantee, Trump said: 'There's numerous definitions of Article 5, you know that, right? But I'm committed to being their friends.' He added only that he is 'committed to life and safety.' A civilian runs NATO, but the U.S. and its military hold power The United States is NATO's most powerful member. It spends much more on defense than any other ally and far outweighs its partners in terms of military muscle. Washington has traditionally driven the agenda but has stepped back under Trump. The U.S. nuclear arsenal provides strategic deterrence against would-be adversaries. NATO's day-to-day work is led by Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister. As its top civilian official, he chairs almost weekly meetings of ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council at its Brussels headquarters. He chairs other 'NACs' at ministerial and leader levels. Rutte runs NATO headquarters, trying to foster consensus and to speak on behalf of all members. NATO's military headquarters is based nearby in Mons, Belgium. It is always run by a top U.S. officer. Ukraine's role at the summit is unclear With Trump demanding greater defense spending, Ukraine's role has been downgraded, compared to previous summits. Zelenskyy attended a royal dinner that Trump also attended Tuesday. He will not have a seat at NATO's table for its one working session. But nor will any other non-NATO leader. More broadly, NATO itself is not arming Ukraine. As an organization, it possesses no weapons of any kind. Collectively, it provides only nonlethal support — fuel, combat rations, medical supplies, body armor, and equipment to counter drones or mines.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Donald Trump to meet Nato allies amid doubts over US defence commitment
President Donald Trump on Wednesday will meet with members of a Nato alliance that he has worked to bend to his will over the years and whose members are rattled by his latest comments casting doubt on the US commitment to its mutual defence guarantees. Trump's comments en route to the Netherlands that his fidelity to Article 5 depends on your definition" are likely to draw a spotlight at the Nato summit, as will the new and fragile Iran-Israel ceasefire that Trump helped broker after the US unloaded airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. At the same time, the alliance is poised to enact one of Trump's chief priorities for Nato: a pledge by its member countries to increase, sometimes significantly, how much they spend on their defence. Nato was broke, and I said, You're going to have to pay,' Trump said Tuesday. And we did a whole thing, and now they're paying a lot. Then I said, You're going to have to lift it to 4 or 5 per cent, and 5 per cent is better. Spending 5 per cent of a country's gross domestic product on defense is good, Trump pronounced, adding, It gives them much more power. The boost in spending follows years of Trump complaints that other countries weren't paying their fair share for membership in an alliance created as a bulwark against threats from the former Soviet Union. Most Nato countries, with the key exception of Spain, are preparing to endorse the 5 per cent pledge, motivated to bolster their own defences not just by Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine but also, perhaps, to placate Trump. As a candidate in 2016, Trump suggested that he as president would not necessarily heed the alliance's mutual defense guarantees outlined in Article 5 of the Nato treaty. In March of this year, he expressed uncertainty that Nato would come to the United States' defense if needed, though the alliance did just that after the September 11, 2001, attacks. On Tuesday, he told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to The Hague for the summit that whether he is committed to Article 5 depends on your definition. There's numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right? Trump said. But I'm committed to being their friends. He signalled that he would give a more precise definition of what Article 5 means to him once he is at the summit. Trump also vented to reporters before leaving Washington about the actions by Israel and Iran after his announced ceasefire. He said, in his view, both sides had violated the nascent agreement. After Trump arrived in the Netherlands, news outlets, including The Associated Press, published stories revealing that a US intelligence report suggested in an early assessment that Iran's nuclear program had been set back only a few months by weekend strikes and was not completely and fully obliterated, as Trump had said. The White House called the report flat-out wrong," and Trump posted in all-caps on social media early Wednesday that any reporting that the strikes weren't completely destroyed was an attempt to demean one of the most successful military strikes in history. The White House has not said what other world leaders Trump would meet with one-on-one while in The Hague, but he said he was likely to cross paths with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
U.K. to purchase weapon-capable aircraft under NATO
The British government said on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) that it would purchase a dozen F-35A fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons in what it described as the biggest expansion of its nuclear deterrent in a generation. The purchase of the Lockheed Martin jets would allow Britain's air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first time since the end of the Cold War, Downing Street said. "In an era of radical uncertainty, we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my government is investing in our national security," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. Britain is increasing defence spending and upgrading its military forces, including its submarine fleet, as it faces increasing hostility from Russia and as the United States retrenches from its traditional role as a defender of European security. The British government said the purchase of the jets would allow it to contribute so-called dual-capable aircraft to NATO to carry nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said "this is yet another robust British contribution to NATO". Britain's nuclear deterrent currently rests solely on the Trident submarine-based system, which misfired during a test last year, the second successive test failure after one veered off course in 2016. The last time Britain possessed an independent air-launched nuclear capability was in 1998 when the WE-177 free fall bomb was withdrawn from service, according to Britain's parliament. Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for battlefield use, as opposed to strategic weapons designed to be fired across vast distances. By purchasing the F-35A fighter jets, Britain would be able to diversify its military options and align more closely with NATO allies such as France, and the United States, which maintains land, sea, and air-based nuclear capabilities. The F-35A fighter jets are capable of carrying U.S. B61 tactical nuclear weapons. Britain would likely need the United States to supply those weapons for use on the planes, said one British official who declined to be named. The United States withdrew its last nuclear weapons from Britain in 2008, in a sign at that time that the threat of conflict following the end of the Cold War was receding. Downing Street said buying the new jets would support about 20,000 jobs in Britain and underline its commitment to NATO. The government has pledged to boost overall defence and security spending to 5% of economic output by 2035 to meet a NATO target and said on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) it must "actively prepare" for war at home for the first time in years.
