NATO summit seeks to keep Trump happy — and alliance united

NATO leaders will seek to lock in US President Donald Trump’s commitment to their alliance with a summit pledge to boost defence spending, as they gather Tuesday in The Hague with global tensions soaring over Iran.

The overriding focus of the gathering — which kicks off with dinner hosted by the Dutch king — has been on keeping Trump happy after his return to power sparked fears he could blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance.

From meeting his spending demand to limiting the participation of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, everything is being done to try to avoid the chances of a damaging confrontation with the volatile leader.

But despite the careful planning the meeting still risks being overshadowed by the fallout from Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Central to the effort to keep Trump on board — given his threat not to protect lower-spending NATO allies — will be a pledge to satisfy his insistence that members cough up five percent of their GDP on defence. 

To give him a headline victory, NATO’s 32 countries have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas like cybersecurity and infrastructure. 

“This is a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future,” said NATO chief Mark Rutte, who warns the alliance must be ready to confront the threat of a Russian attack within five years.