THE HAGUE, Netherlands — NATO allies’ strategy of effusively flattering President Donald Trump to prevent him disrupting the alliance’s annual summit appears to have worked, with Trump declaring that he supports the mutual-assistance clause that he has repeatedly questioned.
“Why would I be here? If I didn’t stand with it, why would I be here?” he told reporters at a meeting with the Netherlands’ prime minister, Dick Schoof.
The 32-nation military group announced it had agreed to increase its defense spending target from its current 2% of GDP to 5%, with at least 3.5% on core military spending and 1.5% allowed on ancillary things like infrastructure.
Compared to previous joint statements following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Wednesday’s barely mentioned either country, likely in deference to Trump’s animosity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Trump tried to extort during his term, and his long-standing affinity toward Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, asked at a post-summit news conference about whether he found his over-the-top praise for Trump “demeaning,” said he did not.
