NATO leaders set to back Trump defence spending goal
NATO leaders are gathered in The Hague for a summit tailor-made for US President Donald Trump, with European allies hoping a pledge to hike defence spending will prompt him to dispel doubts about his commitment to the alliance.
The summit is expected to endorse a higher defence spending goal of five per cent of GDP - a response to a demand by Trump and to Europeans' fears that Russia poses an increasingly direct threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte acknowledged it was not easy for countries to find the money for extra defence spending but said it was vital to do so.
"There is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that given this threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative," he told reporters on Wednesday.
NATO officials hope the conflict between Israel and Iran, and the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites at the weekend, will not overshadow the gathering, hosted by Rutte in his home city.
Trump has threatened not to protect NATO members if they fail to meet spending targets and he raised doubts about his commitment again on his way to the summit by avoiding directly endorsing the alliance's mutual defence clause.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said there were "numerous definitions" of the clause.
"I'm committed to saving lives. I'm committed to life and safety. And I'm going to give you an exact definition when I get there," he said.
The new target - to be achieved over 10 years - is a big increase on the current goal of two per cent of GDP, although it will be measured differently.
Countries would spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on core defence - such as troops and weapons - and 1.5 per cent on broader defence-related measures such as cybersecurity, protecting pipelines and adapting roads and bridges to handle military vehicles.
All NATO members have backed a statement enshrining the target, although Spain declared it does not need to meet the goal.
But Rutte accepted a diplomatic fudge with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as part of his intense efforts to give Trump a diplomatic victory and make the summit go smoothly.
Trump gave an unusual insight into those efforts on Tuesday by posting a private message in which Rutte lavished praise on him and congratulated him on "decisive action in Iran".
"You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done," Rutte told Trump.
"Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win."
To satisfy Trump, Rutte has also kept the summit and its final statement short and focused on the spending pledge.
The text is expected to cite Russia as a threat and reaffirm allies' support for Ukraine but not dwell on those issues, given Trump has taken a more conciliatory stance towards Moscow and been less supportive of Kyiv than his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had to settle for a seat at the pre-summit dinner on Tuesday evening rather than at the main meeting on Wednesday, although Trump said he would probably meet Zelenskiy separately.
Zelenskiy and his aides have said they want to talk to Trump about buying US weapons and increasing pressure on Moscow through tougher sanctions.
The Kremlin accused NATO of being on a path of rampant militarisation and portraying Russia as a "fiend of hell" in order to justify its big increase in defence spending.
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The latest conflict erupted on June 13, when Israel fired missiles at Iran in a bid to blow up military assets, arguing it was on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons. The battle took a turn on the weekend when the US launched a bombing raid on three underground nuclear facilities in Iran. Conflict between Iran and Israel will have consequences for Australia, even if a ceasefire holds, an expert warns. While the federal government has repeatedly called for diplomacy and peace, it differed from other US allies by supporting America's decision to join Israel's offensive and strike Iran. Concerns had been raised if the action was legal, making Australia's position on the strikes "worrying", regardless of whether a ceasefire held, analyst Jessie Moritz told AAP. "Given that the intelligence that Israel was operating under was not confirmed even by the US, that really raised the question of whether this was a legal war and whether this was breaking an international norm," the Australian National University Arab and Islamic studies lecturer said. "Breaking international norms is a huge problem because it allows our enemies to break that norm with us." The Labor government initially took a more neutral stance but backed the US bombings after the coalition came out in support first. Dr Moritz said the government's quick decision was concerning and drew comparisons to the events of 2003, where Australia joined the US war in Iraq under false claims it possessed weapons of mass destruction. Though she hoped a ceasefire would hold, Dr Moritz warned the conflict would have long-term ramifications. US international partners have begun to more closely examine whether American interests align with their own as President Donald Trump emerges as a foreign policy disruptor. The conflict could incentivise Arab states to pursue nuclear weapons and lead Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and rebuild its nuclear program. Dr Moritz said Iran could become more repressive and conservative because it might lose some support, using the events as an excuse to violently repress opposition groups. Anyone within the regime who supported diplomatic engagement with the West would be sidelined too. This could impact Australian-Iranian communities, many of whom hoped the conflict could help de-stabilise the Iranian autocracy and pave the way for a new, democratic government. Persian Australian Community Association member Nader Ranjbar said the regime's continuation could lead to his "worst fear". 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The latest conflict erupted on June 13, when Israel fired missiles at Iran in a bid to blow up military assets, arguing it was on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons. The battle took a turn on the weekend when the US launched a bombing raid on three underground nuclear facilities in Iran.
