From the perspective of European NATO allies, it all went to plan: A short, one-page and five-point declaration, a nice group photo and even dinner with the Dutch king and queen. At the NATO summit at The Hague, US President Donald Trump was also in good spirits.
When he addressed the press, Trump claimed credit for ending the war in Iran and for getting NATO allies to increase their defense spending to 5% of their national GDPs by 2035.
He praised European members of the alliance for “the love and passion they showed for their countries,” but also said they needed the US. He hailed the new pledge as a “big win for Europe and for western civilization.”
@SecGenNATO: "For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden of that commitment — and that changes today. President Trump — dear Donald — you made this change possible… we will produce trillions more for our common defense to make us stronger and… pic.twitter.com/qK5yT0cUdE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 25, 2025
