NATO summit seeks to keep Trump happy -- and alliance united
THE HAGUE: NATO leaders will seek to lock in US President Donald Trump's commitment to their alliance with a summit pledge to boost defence spending, as they gather Tuesday in The Hague with global tensions soaring over Iran.
The overriding focus of the gathering -- which kicks off with dinner hosted by the Dutch king -- has been on keeping Trump happy after his return to power sparked fears he could blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance.
From meeting his spending demand to limiting the participation of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, everything is being done to try to avoid the chances of a damaging confrontation with the volatile leader.
But despite the careful planning the meeting still risks being overshadowed by the fallout from Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
Central to the effort to keep Trump on board -- given his threat not to protect lower-spending NATO allies -- will be a pledge to satisfy his insistence that members cough up five percent of their GDP on defence.
To give him a headline victory, NATO's 32 countries have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas like cybersecurity and infrastructure.
'This is a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future,' said NATO chief Mark Rutte, who warns the alliance must be ready to confront the threat of a Russian attack within five years.
- Deep divisions -
'We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility, speed,' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday in announcing the UK's commitment to meet NATO's spending target.
In a joint Financial Times op-ed on the summit's eve, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz likewise argued that Europe must rearm 'not because someone asks us to, but because we are clear-eyed and owe it to our citizens to do so'.
In the run-up to the meeting, Spain had sparked fears of undermining the alliance's carefully choreographed unity by refusing to commit to the headline figure of five percent.
But Rutte stressed Spain had not been granted an 'opt-out' from the pledge.
'The summit will be historic,' US NATO ambassador Matthew Whitaker said.
'This summit is really about NATO's credibility and we are urging all of our allies to step up to the plate and pay their fair share for transatlantic security.'
But while the promise of more spending looks like it could win Trump over, deep divisions remain over the approach to Europe's key security issue: Russia's war in Ukraine.
Since storming back to power Trump has upended the West's approach to the three-year conflict by turning his back on Kyiv and opening the door to closer ties with Moscow.
- Zelensky downgraded -
Zelensky, who had an infamous Oval Office bust-up with Trump, has been downgraded from the central role he played at recent NATO gatherings.
This time he is set to attend the king's dinner, meet EU leaders and attend an industry forum -- but he will not hold formal talks with the alliance's 32 leaders.
Rutte said the summit would still send the message that support for Kyiv was 'unwavering and will persist'.
The French and German leaders, in a message aimed at Trump, said they would jointly press for a ceasefire in Ukraine and ramped-up pressure on Russia 'including through sanctions' while in The Hague.
But despite Rutte's insistence that Ukraine's bid for membership remains 'irreversible', the alliance will avoid any mention of Kyiv's push to join after Trump ruled it out.
Allies have also had to push hard just to get Washington to name Moscow as a 'threat' in a summit declaration set to be released when NATO leaders hold their main session on Wednesday.
The push to make sure the United States remains on the same page comes as Washington is weighing whether to pull forces from Europe as it focuses more on the threat from China.
The Pentagon is set to announce the results of a review of its global deployments later in the year -- but diplomats at NATO say they don't expect Trump to make any announcements in The Netherlands.
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The Star
an hour ago
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Fearing war with Russia, Finland hardens NATO's north frontier
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He said he did not see NATO rearmament as a threat. After Finland joined the alliance, Moscow announced plans to strengthen military capacity in Russia's west and northwest. The activities of the Finnish reservists, who also use firearms in target practice, are voluntary, although most have completed Finland's long-standing mandatory male conscription. More than 50,000 Finns take part in such clubs, up by about a third since before the Ukraine war, according to the Finnish Reservists' Association, with a similar increase in the number of reservists called up by the military for refresher training. Even older members of Latto's band of volunteers could see service in a crisis, as Finland raises the reserve's upper age limit to 65 to add 125,000 troops to a wartime army, and to take the number of reservists to one million by 2031. He welcomed the extended military service, saying older reservists could be drone or radar operators. "You don't have to run with the infantry to be a part of the modern battlefield," said Latto, a skilled hobbyist who has made his own first-person-view goggles to control a homemade drone. SPLIT FAMILIES Some businesses are unhappy with the changes. Shopping malls and restaurants once buzzing with Russian visitors are noticeably emptier. Up to 13 million annual cross-border trips have ended, affecting dual citizens with family in Russia. The vanishing Russian tourists and dearth of trade has taken at least 300 million euros annually from a 5.5 billion euro local economy, the region's council said. Unemployment soared to close to 15% at the end of last year, higher than the national average. Antique shopkeeper Janne Tarvainen said that previously, some locals complained the Russian visitors had made it hard to get reservations in restaurants or find parking spots. "I saw it differently – money was coming into the town," said Tarvainen, who is now looking for online shoppers to replace Russian footfall. Oksana Serebriakova, 50, whose grandfather was Finnish, moved to Lappeenranta from Moscow after the COVID-19 pandemic looking for better opportunities for her 17-year-old son Vitalik. Her older son and the boys' father stayed in the Russian capital, with plans for frequent visits. The border closure has split the family, creating "a very sad situation," said Serebriakova, who is studying for a business administration diploma at a local vocational college. The migration problem "could have been solved" with measures such as strict checks at entry points similar to airports, she suggested. Finland has around 38,000 dual citizens, official data shows, considerably less than other countries bordering Russia. About 420,000 Finns who lived in territory ceded to Russia after World War Two settled in Finland. Ivan Deviatkin, a local politician who has a son in Finland and an ageing mother in Russia, unsuccessfully challenged the border closure in Finland's courts. Nine plaintiffs now have a complaint pending hearing at the European Court of Human Rights, which has asked Finland to justify the shutdown. 'RE-BORDERING' For decades after World War Two, Finland gradually opened trade and travel connections with Russia. Now though, the E18 motorway that links Helsinki and St. Petersburg ends abruptly at metal barricades at the border, as do other previously busy roads. Finland closed the frontier over the arrivals of undocumented migrants in 2023, which Helsinki viewed as a Russian policy response to its accession to NATO. Moscow said it was abiding by rules and that Finland had adopted an anti-Russia stance. At the time, the borderline was hardly visible, mostly marked only by poles or a low barrier to keep domestic animals from wandering off, with a small trail for occasional canine patrols to follow. In place of that, Finland is raising 200 km (124 miles) of 4.5-metre (15 ft)-high fence dotted with cameras and motion sensors in the most passable areas of the forest-covered 1,340-km (833 mile) border. A new dirt road runs parallel for quicker access by border guards. The changes had made "a big, big impact," said Finnish Border Guard Head of Operations Samuel Siljanen. "We've moved kind of from an era of de-bordering to one of re-bordering," he said. NATO COMMAND Hopes for a quick detente run low. Helsinki believes Russia will reinforce the neighbouring Leningrad military region once the war in Ukraine ends, president Stubb has said, although he downplays any threat from Russia so far. Behind the border, satellite images show Russia beginning some work on garrisons, including building new warehouses. A senior government official aware of Finland's military planning described such work as minor and not a threat. Finland has long had a strong military. It has ordered 64 U.S.-made F-35s to modernise its fighter jet fleet. It has the largest artillery arsenal in Western Europe, another official said. The sources requested anonymity to speak about sensitive matters. It is important "to signal credibly to Russia that it's not worth it," said Chatham House associate fellow Minna Alander, whose research includes work on Finnish and Northern European security. She said Finland was not a threat to Russia. "NATO will never attack Russia, and I believe they know this," Alander said. The new NATO northern headquarters will host around 50 officers from countries including the U.S. and UK together with the Finnish Army Command, in the eastern Finnish town of Mikkeli, a two-hour drive from the border. "In the event that we ever moved into a conflict, this headquarters would be working alongside NATO forces in a command and control role," Brigadier Chris Gent of the Allied Land Command told Reuters on a visit in Finland. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Lappeenranta, Imatra and Helsinki; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
