US EditionFlatterer-in-Chief: NATO's Rutte Handling of Donald Trump Raises Eyebrows
- The NATO leaders convened in The Hague on June 25, 2025, with attendees including US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
- The summit followed a background of tension over US commitment, differing threat perceptions, and Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine and the 2022 full-scale war.
- The declaration issued at the summit was brief, avoided direct mention of the Ukraine war, and focused on military capability and defense spending, while Rutte employed vigorous flattery towards Trump to maintain alliance unity.
- Allies vowed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP following Trump's call, renewing US commitment to Article 5, though experts noted rising anxiety over possible US troop reductions in Europe.
- The outcomes suggest improved short-term cohesion but underscore persistent divisions on US enthusiasm and strategic priorities, with concerns about NATO's future and Europe's security reliance on the US.
25 Articles
25 Articles
NATO's European leaders fear Vladimir Putin. But there's someone they're even more afraid of. Donald Trump.
How Nato summit shows Europe and US no longer have a common enemy
Mark Rutte had an unenviable task at the Hague summit this week. The Nato secretary-general had to work with diverging American and European views of current security threats. After Rutte made extraordinary efforts at highly deferential, overt flattery of Donald Trump to secure crucial outcomes for the alliance, he seems to have succeeded for now. But what this meeting and the run-up has made increasingly clear is that the US and Europe no longe…
For NATO boss Rutte, the agreement at the summit in The Hague is a great success. He gets credit for keeping US President Trump in the boat - but with great praise. By Helga Schmidt.
Flatterer-in-chief: NATO's Rutte handling of Donald Trump raises eyebrows
All of NATO’s 32 leaders have endorsed increasing their defense spending to 5% of their GDP and reaffirmed their commitment to NATO’s collective security guarantee. It comes just one day after the US president cast doubt on whether he’d come to the aid of fellow members if attacked. His comments have set off alarm bells for NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte who has been on an all out charm offensive to keep Donald Trump happy as Yinka Oyetade…
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has set new standards in his love service to Donald Trump – and thus shows us the power gap within the West.
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