United States continues pushing for greater N.A.T.O defense spending

According to President Trump, the N.A.T.O summit at the Hague was very productive. He has claimed that he came out of the experience with a greater respect for the military alliance due to the devotion of its member nations. At the summit, N.A.T.O members pledged to increase their military spending to around 5% of their GDP, something that the Trump administration had been pushing for since his second term. Currently, the requirement is at 2% of the GDP, which most N.A.T.O nations have reached. In return, Trump promised that he would respect Article 5 and be willing to appreciate it. For context, Article 5 is considered the cornerstone of the alliance, as it states that an attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all members.

It has not been considered all positives, however. The conversation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine was primarily brought to the sidelines, something which critics claim to be N.A.T.O's way of appeasing Trump. Even with this, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that his recent conversation privately with Trump went well. According to Zelensky, Trump seemed willing to discuss the idea of increased defense support for the nation.

The summit has revealed a shift in Trump's policy toward N.A.T.O. and may signify a greater response to Russia.