Nato drafts one-page communiqué to suit Trump's attention span
The simplified statement will likely only contain around five or six paragraphs, detailing how the Western military alliance will meet Mr Trump's demand to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
The summit in The Hague will also be modelled on a similar leaders gathering in London in 2019, which was deliberately kept short because of the president's attention span.
The one-page communiqué will be almost entirely focused on the historic decision to more than double spending on defence by leaders to meet new capability targets for deterring a Russian invasion.
The Telegraph understands the document will brand Russia as a 'threat' to Nato, as well as offer a nod to the alliance's support for war-torn Ukraine.
But it will strip out any mention of Kyiv's 'irreversible' path to membership, and remove any mention of climate change posing a 'defining challenge' to member states.
Also, there will unlikely be any language accusing China of being a 'decisive enabler' of Russia's war against Ukraine.
One alliance source said it would be 'focused on the core issues at hand'.
It will be a stark contrast to previous statements issued by Nato leaders after their set-piece annual summit.
At the 2023 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the declaration contained 90 paragraphs.
A year later, in Washington, leaders signed off on 44 lines of text, including statements on climate change, Ukraine, Russia, terrorism and the defence industry.
A senior Nato diplomat said: 'We're going to go even shorter this time. A single sheet of paper and it should be five paragraphs long.'
The conciseness of the statement is purely designed to prevent rows from breaking out between Mr Trump and his counterparts in Canada and Europe.
European leaders have been barred from bringing up the issue of trade tariffs, in a further bid to maintain harmony with the president.
The White House chief is known for preferring short, sharp briefings, with his aides deliberately keeping their memos to a single page of A4.
A Nato source said the drafting process for the annual communiqué of Nato countries had been changed this year by Mark Rutte, the alliance's secretary-general, to make it more secure.
Usually, the document leaks to the media in the final hours of negotiations between member states as the various commitments are agreed by deputy ambassadors and their staff.
But sources close to Nato HQ said Mr Rutte had restricted the distribution list of the communiqué only to ambassadors, in an attempt to prevent it from leaking.
The secretary-general has also cracked down on the 'Christmas tree' approach taken by member states in previous years, when national governments attach their own priorities to the communiqué.
One example given was Spain's insistence at previous summits that the Mediterranean was listed as a key strategic region for Nato.
The Dutch organisers of The Hague summit will also roll out the red carpet for the US president in the hope it keeps him sweet.
There will be a working session solely on defence spending, with leaders huddled around the table.
Mr Trump, a fan of royals, will also be given the opportunity to meet King Willem-Alexander at a dinner hosted by the Dutch monarch the night before the summit.
Interactions between the US president and Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, will also be limited, because of the risk of a public bust-up.
A meeting of the Nato-Ukraine Council, the official body established in Washington, will be held by foreign ministers.
There also won't be any meetings of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which coordinates Western military aid to Kyiv, or the 'coalition of the willing', the Anglo-French initiative to police any ceasefire.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Laura Coates Uses Trump's Own Words to Shatter ‘Woke' Smithsonian Claims: ‘Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself, Mr. President'
In 2017, Trump called the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture a "beautiful tribute to so many American heroes" CNN's Laura Coates took issue Tuesday night with President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the Smithsonian Institute has gone 'out of control' with woke content and used some of his own words from 2017 to prove him wrong. Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday to announce that he has instructed his attorneys to review the Smithsonian's museums. More from TheWrap Laura Coates Uses Trump's Own Words to Shatter 'Woke' Smithsonian Claims: 'Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself, Mr. President' | Video Trump's White House Lashes Out at Rosie O'Donnell Again in Response to Mark Hamill's Near Emigration 'Morning Joe' Warns Rep. Elise Stefanik's Home District Boos Are a 'Terrible Sign' for Republicans | Video Shonda Rhimes Says Self-Censorship Is Palpable as Networks Cower to Trump 'The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been,' Trump wrote. 'This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE.' Among the museums that Trump has targeted is the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which Coates was quick to point out Tuesday. The CNN anchor was also quick to note that, contrary to his recent claims, Trump had nothing but good things to say about the museum in question after he toured it in 2017. To prove her point, Coates played a clip of the speech Trump gave following his visit. 'This museum is a beautiful tribute to so many American heroes. It's amazing to see,' Trump said at the time. 'We did a pretty comprehensive tour, but not comprehensive enough. So, [Smithsonian Secretary] Lonnie [Bunch III] I'll be back. I told you that. Because I could stay here for a lot longer, believe me. It's really incredible. This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance, and hatred in all of its very ugly forms.' You can watch the clip yourself in the video below. For her part, Coates took particular issue with Trump's insistence that the museums his administration is reviewing focus only on suffering and oppression. 'Yes, it goes into the unvarnished truth of slavery in America, the brutal reality that millions endured and the impact that's still felt today,' Coates acknowledge about the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 'But the museum, if you actually go to it rather than just talk about it and see it on paper from a Truth Social post, it doesn't only focus on suffering. It is about resilience and achievement and celebration. Umbrella? History.' The CNN anchor noted that the museum highlights the achievements of Black icons like Muhammad Ali, Louis Armstrong, Jim Brown, Gabby Douglas and Carl Lewis. 'If that's woke, then maybe woke just means telling the whole story because every exhibition that I've just mentioned showcases exactly what Trump says that he wants: success, brightness, a look toward the future,' Coates argued. Responding to Trump's 2017 remark that the museum is a 'reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance, and hatred in all of its very ugly forms,' Coates concluded, '[I] couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. President.' The post Laura Coates Uses Trump's Own Words to Shatter 'Woke' Smithsonian Claims: 'Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself, Mr. President' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'This is a merger out of distress, not progression' – can ABF-Hovis deal bolster UK bread businesses?
Leaf through at least the last ten years of Associated British Foods' annual reports and it's clear the UK bread market has been no cakewalk for the food, ingredients and retail group. There have been years in which ABF has reported year-on-year revenue growth from its Allied Bakeries arm in the UK but the last decade has been mostly one of sluggish sales and of striving to turn a profit. ABF's struggles in UK bread have long begged questions about its future in the category. Back in 2019, then finance director John Bason, after reporting the third consecutive year in which Allied Bakeries had made an operating loss, told Just Food the company remained committed to the market and ruled out a sale. And the debate stretches back at least as far as this correspondent has covered the food sector. In ABF's 2008 financial year, the Kingsmill bread brand owner said Allied Bakeries had performed 'poorly' in the face of rising commodity costs and fierce competition in the UK bread market (it was ever thus). Some City analysts had begun asking whether ABF should remain in bread, a business central to the start of the company in the 1930s. Fast-forward five years to 2013 and there was speculation ABF might swoop for Hovis, then owned by UK manufacturer Premier Foods. Robert Lawson, the managing partner at European consultancy Food Strategy Associates, remembers the opposite transaction was mooted when he was at Premier in the late 2000s. 'The synergies were significant – consolidation of factories and of the two businesses' expensive direct-store-distribution systems delivering on a daily basis, rationalisation of the management teams running the businesses, consolidation of mills and procurement synergies. On top, there was also the opportunity to rejuvenate Hovis's aged bakery network, which even then was much older than ABF's,' Lawson says. This week, a deal did come to pass – and was something of a surprise to some industry watchers. When ABF announced in April it was putting Allied Bakeries up for strategic review – and, days later, said it was in talks with Hovis's owners, the private-equity firm Endless – many onlookers assumed the group was set to leave the UK bread market. 'Getting bigger in bread is probably not what investors want to see,' Barclays analysts covering ABF said in a note to clients on Friday (15 August). 'No doubt investors would have preferred ABF to have exited UK bread altogether but this wasn't really a realistic option given the structure of the industry with market leader Warburtons family-controlled and Hovis owned by private equity.' City analysts estimate ABF has lost hundreds of millions of pounds in the over-supplied and stagnant UK bread market in recent years. Demand for sliced bread has been soft for a number of years, while Kingsmill and Hovis, with their product ranges largely centred on conventional fare, have faced a trio of competitive threats: private label, more artisan products like sourdough and the strength of the privately owned Warburtons, which has built the largest branded business on solid marketing and innovation. 'We reckon that Allied has lost anywhere between £500m ($673.4m) and £750m over the last 15 years in UK bread,' Shore Capital analyst Clive Black tells Just Food. 'If it hadn't been for the envelope of ABF, [Allied Bakeries] would have been probably closed some time ago. Those numbers are the accumulated trading losses, the redundancies, restructuring and impairments that have taken place. At the moment, we would suggest it's losing on an annualised basis somewhere between £25m and £40m a year.' UK competition scrutiny ABF believes the combined Allied Bakeries and Hovis business can be a more robust operator. 'This transaction will create a UK bakeries business that is both profitable and sustainable over the long term. Supporting the Hovis and Kingsmill brands with well-invested and efficient operations will also enable innovation and growth,' George Weston, ABF's CEO, said on Friday. 'This solution will create value for shareholders, provide greater choice for consumers and increase efficiencies for customers.' The completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, which will likely look closely at a deal bringing together two of the largest branded players in the country's bread market. Shore Capital's Black believes the CMA should let the transaction through, pointing to the choice presented by private label, by regional manufacturers like Roberts Bakery and Jackson's Bakery and, of course, by Warburtons. 'This is a merger out of distress, not out of progression,' he says. 'If it doesn't take place, I think there will be very substantial, potentially irrational, rationalisation. If it does take place, then a necessary evil will probably occur. I don't think it is detrimental to the UK shopper's interest.' When Lawson was at Premier, the mooted cost benefits of an Allied Bakeries-Hovis combination made the idea of a deal 'compelling'. He adds: 'The view then was that [competition approval] was unlikely. Today, Kingsmill is a much-diminished presence on shelf so retailers no longer have the same ability to punish the consolidation with brand rationalisation – and there is limited alternative to retailers of branded suppliers, so the synergies may hold.' ABF does not disclose detailed sales and profit numbers for Allied Bakeries. In the group's 2024 fiscal year (the 12 months to 14 September), Allied Bakeries saw a 'much-reduced operating loss' amid what ABF called 'improved sales and operational performance'. However, when the Sunblest brand owner announced its results for the first half of the company's current financial year in April, it appeared Allied Bakeries was again finding the going tough. 'Our UK-focused businesses declined overall,' the Ryvita crispbread and Jordans granola maker said. 'As expected, this was primarily due to lower volumes and sales in Allied Bakeries, which resulted in an increased operating loss. Allied Bakeries continues to face a very challenging market.' Endless snapped up Hovis from Premier and US investor Gores Group in late 2020. Companies House, the UK business register, has two full years of financial results since the change of ownership. The most recent set of numbers cover the 52 weeks to 28 September 2024, when revenue stood at £446.8m, down almost 9% on a year earlier, an operating loss of £2.9m (compared to one of £3.2m the previous year) and a net loss of £4.7m (against one of £3.6m). 'The group has achieved positive financial progress despite continued tough trading conditions,' commentary alongside the figures reads, highlighting improved EBITDA. 'These results highlight our focus on managing the cost base in a highly competitive market and demonstrating good progress during the year, which will continue into 2025.' Cost synergies to be captured Should the CMA clear the deal, how might ABF go about creating that long-term 'profitable and sustainable' UK bakery business its CEO touted last week? Barclays' analysts believe the synergies ABF might extract from the deal 'could be very significant'. They argue the £50m in cost savings suggested by unnamed industry sources to Sky News 'could be conservative', adding: 'The acquisition will combine the production and distribution activities of the two businesses, driving significant cost synergies and efficiencies with the aim of creating a sustainable and profitable UK bread business in the long term. It could free up money to invest in the more interesting parts of market – high-protein breads, breakfast goods. If ABF could turn a £30m loss into a £20-30m profit on a two- to three-year view and pay around £75m for the business, that would be an attractive payback.' At Shore Capital, Black is sceptical about the prospect of substantial revenue synergies but says ABF could look across the business, from the C-suite, through manufacturing and distribution and onto product ranges, in order to find efficiencies. 'Once they've worked out the assortment, starting to put the production plan together, which ultimately may lead to the closure of bakeries or the rationalisation of lines,' he suggests. 'Then, perhaps under the radar, but most significantly, combining the distribution model. Like milk, bread is one of the few products that is still delivered to store and combining distribution with materially improved vehicle utilisation means saved costs. From the centre right through to the distribution process, removing duplication, going to a single business model and taking a lot of costs. Whether this deal actually does make for more innovation in product and for the development of brands in revenue-based synergies remains to be seen. I've been around too long to trust revenue-based synergies.' Now it's over to the CMA where competition officials will sift through the financials of both businesses. Warburtons will be watching closely. 'It is hard to argue that manufacturers have the whip hand over retailers given the scale of industry losses,' Barclays adds. "'This is a merger out of distress, not progression' – can ABF-Hovis deal bolster UK bread businesses?" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Joly: Visits to Saab, Lockheed 'normal' part of her job amid F-35 review
OTTAWA — Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says Canadians shouldn't read too much into her visit to a Swedish defence manufacturer that comes right in the middle of a major government review of the F-35 fighter jet procurement. Joly says she visited Saab's facilities in Sweden this week and was shown the Gripen-E jet, which is one of the possible contenders to replace the controversial U.S.-made F-35 fighter jet. Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered the review shortly after he became prime minister in March, as Canada sought tighter security and defence ties with Europe in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. The review is to be completed by the end of the summer and Joly says her role in it is to ensure the Canadian government understands all its options and what the industrial benefits to Canada would be in its final decision. Joly says this is a "normal" part of her job, and that she will also be meeting with Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35, in the coming weeks. Joly is wrapping up a trip to Sweden and Finland with Secretary of State for Defence Stephen Fuhr, which was focused on strengthening defence-industrial ties in Europe. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2025. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio