Sources say an upcoming NATO meeting will have a lighter agenda.
According to Politico, citing inside sources, a forthcoming NATO summit in the Netherlands will be shorter than usual, with less emphasis on Ukraine.
The summit, planned for The Hague’s World Forum from June 24-25, will reportedly include just a welcome dinner at the Dutch royal residence and one North Atlantic Council meeting, instead of the customary two or three. A NATO-Ukraine Council meeting is also off the table.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been invited only to the welcome dinner, but his attendance is uncertain, the outlet reports. Sources suggest the scaled-back schedule aims to accommodate the US, particularly President Donald Trump, who has often expressed his lack of interest in formal multilateral gatherings.
NATO officials reportedly streamlined the agenda after the G7 summit, where Trump left early and allegedly opposed a joint statement on Ukraine, leading to the summit concluding without one.
The upcoming summit is expected to forgo a lengthy joint statement, with the bloc likely issuing brief statements on new pledges. The abridged agenda also aims to reduce the chances of disruptions to the summit’s main objective: securing member commitments to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP.
Sources suggest Trump, a long-time advocate for increased defense spending by NATO countries, will view the new commitment as a significant “win.”
A European defense official told Politico, “He has to get credit for the 5% – that’s why we’re having the summit. Everything else is being streamlined to minimize risk.”
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