President Donald Trump to Attend NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands – White House Confirms
[Washington, June 4, 2025]
U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands later this month, the White House confirmed on Tuesday. This visit will mark Trump's first official meeting with NATO since beginning his second term in office.
There had been uncertainty about Trump's participation, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during a press briefing, “I can confirm he [Trump] will be attending the NATO summit,” responding to a question from AFP.
Key Agenda: Sharp Increase in Defense Spending
A major topic of the summit will be the significant increase in defense spending by NATO member states—an issue that Trump has long prioritized. He has frequently criticized other allies for not contributing their “fair share” to the alliance.
Context of the Ukraine–Russia War
Another central issue at the summit will be the ongoing Ukraine–Russia war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that his country has been invited to the summit.
Notably, Trump and Zelenskyy had a heated Oval Office meeting in February this year, where they publicly disagreed over the approach to the Ukraine conflict.
NATO Withdrawal Threats and New Conditions
During his first term, Trump threatened to fully withdraw the U.S. from NATO. In his second term, his stance has become even stricter. He has declared that the U.S. will no longer commit to defending nations that fail to meet their defense spending obligations.
According to the Trump administration, the deployment of U.S. troops in Europe is increasingly questionable, and the administration is now focused on other global threats, particularly from China. This shift in priorities has led to diplomatic tensions with several allies, including Canada and Denmark.
Demands for 5% of GDP in Defense Spending – and a Compromise Proposal
Trump is now demanding that each NATO country spend at least 5% of their GDP on defense. Ironically, even the U.S. currently does not meet that threshold.
In response, NATO Secretary-General and former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has proposed a compromise plan: member states would aim to spend 3.5% of GDP on direct defense and an additional 1.5% on related security sectors by 2032.
If implemented, Trump could tout this as a diplomatic victory, even though much of the additional spending would not be entirely new.
This compromise proposal gained support in May from key NATO allies such as Germany and France, significantly increasing the chances of its approval at the upcoming summit.
