Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
Nato leaders have committed to invest 5% of GDP annually on defence and security-related spending by 2035 “to ensure our individual and collective obligations” are met, according to the final text of the Hague summit declaration (14:19).
US president Donald Trump said he was leaving the Nato summit with “a little bit different” view of the alliance as he praised the new 5% spending target (16:04) and promised “we are here to help them protect their country” (16:29).
But he pointedly targeted Spain for not signing up to the spending pledge, saying he would “make them pay twice” through trade measures and take personal control of the negotiations (16:32, 16:39)
Trump also pledged to look into giving Ukraine more Patriot missiles after showing concern for with a Ukrainian reporter talking about her husband who serves in the country’s military (16:36, 17:59). The issue also came up in Trump’s bilateral meeting with Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (18:33).
His comments come after Nato secretary general Mark Rutte repeatedly praised Trump’s leadership for getting the alliance to move on spending (14:45, 14:56), and pointedly criticised the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, for telling “lies” (15:04).
We also heard from multiple national leaders:
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez defended his view that Spain could meet the new capability obligations without reaching the new spending target as he declared his plans to run for re-election at the next general election in 2027, despite a raging political crisis at home (15:07, 15:43).
UK prime minister Keir Starmer insisted Donald Trump remained a reliable partner, and said there was “a real resolve” among leaders to continue their support for Ukraine (15:21).
French president Emmanuel Macron said the summit’s conclusions showed Europe was ready to take greater responsibility for its defence (14:29).
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump “stated very clearly” that he remained committed to Nato’s Article 5, and insisted there was “no reason to be worried about Nato’s future.”
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said the new Nato targets were affordable for Italy as they give countries “total flexibility” over how to reach them (15:55).
In other news:
A US commercial mission carrying crew from Poland and Hungary blasted off to the International Space Station, taking astronauts from these countries to space for the first time in decades (13:28).
Campaigners in Venice have claimed victory after Jeff Bezos was reportedly forced to change the venue for his wedding celebrations in the city as his guests started arriving on Tuesday for the three-day jamboree (13:19).
Passengers booked on Eurostar train services have been urged to cancel or delay their trips after a huge theft of cable in France, which threatened to disrupt the Nato summit in the Netherlands (story).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Putin definitely not winning, Zelenskyy says, as he confirms talks with Trump on air defence, drones
We have just heard more from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his meeting with Donald Trump earlier today.
He confirmed the pair spoke about buying more American air defence systems “to shield our cities, our people, churches and infrastructure,” but also about drone production capabilities and difficult talks with Russia.
Zelenskyy insisted that “Putin is definitely not winning” in the war as he argued that through further work with the US “we can strengthen each other.”
In a post on social media, he said:
I had a good meeting with @POTUS in The Hague. I congratulated President Trump on the successful operation in the Middle East. It is important that the U.S. actions have weakened not only their nuclear program but also their drone production capabilities. We will continue to keep an eye on the situation.
We discussed the protection of our people with the President — first and foremost, the purchase of American air defense systems to shield our cities, our people, churches, and infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to buy this equipment and support American weapons manufacturers. Europe can help. We also discussed the potential for co-production of drones. We can strengthen each other.
I also informed the President about how the technical team’s meetings in Istanbul went, as well as the exchanges of prisoners and the fallen. Russia handed over the bodies of its own troops. Forensic examinations are currently being carried out in Kyiv to identify their relatives.
We talked about the situation on the battlefield. Putin is definitely not winning. I presented the President with the facts about what is really happening on the ground.
Thank you for the meeting and your support. I’m also grateful for the truly kind words about our people. We will keep working.
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