'We are with them all the way', Trump confirms commitment to Article 5
Asked about his commitment to Nato’s Article 5, Trump says:
We are with them all the way.
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Trump confirms commitment to Article 5 at Nato summit and praises 5% defence spending pledges as ‘big news’ – Europe live | NatoNotice: Undefined variable: newid in D:\vertrigo\www\voice\see.php on line 32  Key events
 By the way, you can follow the proceedings on our live stream at the top of this page and below – but, as usual, I will be bringing you all the key news lines here. US Hegseth recognised Nato allies 'stepped up,' UK defence minister says Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, told his Nato opposite numbers over dinner that he recognised that other members of the alliance had “really stepped up” in agreeing to a headline defence spending target of 5% of GDP. The senior administration official chose to speak at the end of the informal gathering according to his British counterpart, after other ministers had spoken, to thank the other 31 allies for making a commitment that he said was “historic”. The account of events was given by John Healey, the UK defence secretary, who said Hegseth had been listed to speak first but he “put aside his scripted speech” so he could reflect and sum up the discussion at the end. “Essentially he was saying, what I recognise here tonight, is that Nato, you nations, have stepped up, and this 5% benchmark that we’re going to agree tomorrow is really historic,” Healey said in a briefing to journalists. The comments will be interpreted positively by Nato allies, coming after Hegseth said in February that the US was no longer “primarily focused” on European security though all eyes remain on US president Donald Trump. In response, Healey said “all the Nato Defence Ministers, including me” recognise that it was down to the UK and other allies “to do the hard yards now, not just in 10 years’ time” for turning the spending pledge into delivery. As leaders take part in the official welcome photo opp with Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof and Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte, let’s go to our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh who is on the ground in The Hague for a quick update. 'We will discuss the obvious,' Trump says about his meeting with ZelenskyyAsked about his meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump says:
He also adds:
The briefing has now pivoted to Iran, with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth confirming there is a leak investigation into the report on the US strike on Iranian targets, and Trump claiming it put the Iranian nuclear programme back “by decades” – and Rutte praising him for the attack again. Trump also suggests he would “sure” attack again if needed. 'We are with them all the way', Trump confirms commitment to Article 5Asked about his commitment to Nato’s Article 5, Trump says:
There’s a brief confusion as Trump appears to think there will be a vote on the new 5% target. Rutte jumps in: “Actually, today we will decide unanimously to do that’s my absolute conviction.” Trump jokes that maybe they should talk about it “until the vote … because sometimes, you know, strange things happen,” but Rutte reassures him it’ll be fine. Trump praises 5% GDP spending commitments as 'very big news'US president Donald Trump is now speaking alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. He acknowledges the jump in defence spending, as he says:
Responding, Rutte continues his charm offensive as he says:
He goes on:
We ramp up spending not to do Trump favour, but because we must do more to counter Russia, German chancellor saysGerman chancellor Friedrich Merz focuses on the increase in spending as he says today’s decision will “provide Nato with significantly better resources in future.” He says that member states agree that “the threat situation has changed” with Russia, and stresses that the defence spending ramp up is not “to do anyone a favour", but … based on our own conviction that Nato as a whole, and especially the European part, must do more.” There should be no sense certain countries are free riding on defence commitment of others, Greek PM says in swipe at SpainGreek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also appears to take aim at Spain as he makes a very pointed remark about fairness within Nato. He says:
He adds:
Ouch. 'Absolutely no discussion over Article 5,' Poland's Duda says, but warns of 'real risk' of Russian attack in futurePoland’s president Andrzej Duda says “everything indicates that there is unity between Nato countries, especially on that most important issue of increasing spending.” He also stresses the importance of supporting the eastern flank of Nato, and extending strategic pipelines across Europe, as well as the need for continued support for Ukraine. He then says that the shift in Nato’s policy comes in response to “Russian imperialist policy” and says he’s been a long time advocate of raising the defence spending over the years. He says there are two fundamental elements of Nato, the alliance’s unity and Article 5, and insists “there is absolutely no discussion over it.” On Trump, he says “the position of the president of the US is the strongest in the alliance,” as he praises his leadership within Nato. He also says that “Russia is exhausted” by its aggression of Ukraine. “I don’t expect that Russia is ready to attack another country now, but in the future, it’s a real risk,” he says, and stresses its “absolutely necessary” to ramp up defence spending in response. 'There are no opt outs,' Belgian prime minister says in swipe at SpainBelgian prime minister Bart De Wever comes in somewhat questioning Spain’s claim that it can reach the Nato targets by spending less than 5% of GDP on defence. He says:
He then adds that more broadly the increase the core defence spending to 3.5% within the next 10 years is “realistic.” Asked about Trump, he sidesteps that question and says:
No concerns about Article 5, Finnish president says, as he says Nato 'goes back to roots' of deterring RussiaFinnish president Alexander Stubb also says the summit will be “historic” as he explains it marks the moment Nato “goes back to the roots of the Alliance in other words, functioning as a collective comprehensive defence system to deter Russia.” Asked if he has any concerns about Article Five, he says:
Someone tries to push him further, asking how many times will he need to play golf with Trump to make him stop making ambiguous comments about Article 5.
He then goes on to say:
Nato 'connecting the dots' at 'historic' summit, Norwegian prime minister saysNorwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre says on arrival that “the length of this meeting is really not indicative” of its historic significance. “We are connecting the dots in Nato by getting the resources necessary to deliver on the capabilities,” he says. “The important part now is the percentage is set, but it’s only important if we’re able to have that translated into the capabilities, so we have to invest in the right equipment that goes together,” he says. He adds that Norway wants Nato to look at the Arctic and the High North, as “we are the eyes and ears of Nato, next to [our] neighbour, Russia.” He also says that “we need to be talking about [our] common effort to support Ukraine.” Asked about how to deal with US president Donald Trump, he says it’s just important to remember we are all allies. He ends by saying:
Heads of state and government from 32 Nato member countries are gathering in The Hague this morning for a summit seeking to project unity and resolve in the face of growing security challenges from Russia and China. On paper, the plan is clear: formalise a new defence spending target of 5% of GDP and demonstrate that European allies are stepping up. But, as often these days, uncertainty looms. US president Donald Trump has already stirred some unease ahead of the summit by appearing to distance himself from Nato’s critical Article 5, which commits members to collective defence. His informal chat with reporters on board Air Force One have injected tension into what was intended as a carefully choreographed show of unity, with Trump simply “flying into another big success.” Is this just Trump keeping his allies on their toes or a signal of deeper shifts in US foreign policy, amid concerns about the future of US military presence in Europe? Answers may come soon, as leaders begin their discussions this morning. We should hear from Trump himself within the next hour. We will bring you all the key lines here. It’s Wednesday, 25 June 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning. Source link Posted: 2025-06-25 10:16:32 |
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