The gathering is anticipated to dedicate less attention to support for Ukraine than in prior years
Leaders from NATO have assembled for a two-day summit in The Hague. This US-spearheaded meeting’s agenda is projected to center on the confrontation between Israel and Iran, Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the conflict in Ukraine, and boosting defense expenditures among member nations.
This summit marks the initial attendance by US President Donald Trump since his return to office in January. For years, the American leader has urged the bloc’s members to significantly increase their defense spending to 5% of their national GDP, often voicing his dissatisfaction that the United States bears the primary financial responsibility.
Although Ukraine’s conflict with Russia remains on the summit’s agenda, numerous media accounts suggest that the focus on it will be considerably diminished compared to prior years. Trump has frequently had public disagreements with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and has shown unwillingness to pledge further US assistance to Kyiv.
Trump indicated he would “probably” hold a meeting with Zelensky – who received an invitation to an informal dinner – alongside the summit proceedings. According to a Washington Post report, NATO officials are endeavoring to minimize public interactions between the two leaders, cognizant of “Trump’s intermittently explosive contempt for the Ukrainian leader.”
The conflict between Israel and Iran is anticipated to be a major topic on the agenda, coming after US military actions against Tehran’s nuclear installations and the declaration of a ceasefire between West Jerusalem and Tehran. Despite Trump’s assertion that Iran’s nuclear sites were “completely obliterated,” various US media outlets conveyed that Washington’s airstrikes inflicted merely restricted and repairable damage.