Everything revolves around Trump at the NATO summit

Defense spending is to be increased to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035. The current target is two percent. At least 3.5 percent of GDP is to be spent on traditional military expenditure in future. Investments in the fight against terrorism or in infrastructure that can be used for military purposes will also be counted.

As a guest of the Dutch royal couple, the US President will be staying at Huis ten Bosch Palace during the two-day summit in The Hague. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) will represent Germany at the summit. At the meeting, he wants to show that Germany is prepared to take on more responsibility in the alliance. "Germany is back on the European and international stage," he said.

"Your victory": Rutte belly brushing Trump

Trump received a special welcome - and he published this actually personal message on the Truth Social portal on the outward journey. According to the screenshot, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte promised him "another great success" in a personal text message.

Rutte wrote: "It wasn't easy, but we got them all to sign the 5 percent pledge! Donald, you have led us to a really, really important moment for America, Europe and the world."

In Trump-style capital letters, Rutte added: "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win." This can be translated as: "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win."

Supporting role for Selenskyj

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who is attending as a guest, only has a supporting role at the meeting: Under pressure from Trump, the alliance is not issuing any new checks worth billions. According to diplomats, unlike at the last summit in Washington with Trump's predecessor Joe Biden, there will be no mention of the prospect of accession in the final declaration. Overall, the summit in The Hague marks a step backwards for the country, which has been defending itself against Russia's encroachment since February 24, 2022.

Last year, Ukraine was still at the center of attention: The allies had promised 40 billion euros worth of support for the year and even ended up providing around 50 billion euros.

Selenskyj and Trump see each other at a royal dinner

Also at the request of the US, Selensky was only invited to a banquet at the palace of Dutch King Willem-Alexander and not to a joint working session on the summit. The form in which Trump and Zelenskyi wanted to meet for talks was open. "Yes, I will probably see him," said the US President.

The King and his wife Máxima welcomed the heads of state and government to a state banquet at the start of the meeting. Trump sat at the table next to the King, Selensky next to the Queen. Some of the guests were also accompanied by their partners, such as Brigitte Macron.

Unlike at the G7 summit in Canada last week, Merz arrived without his wife Charlotte. As reported by Bild, she had decided not to travel at short notice due to the tense situation in the Middle East. In the view of the Chancellor and his wife, this made a concentrated working summit necessary, it was said. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told the newspaper that Charlotte Merz had therefore decided that it would be better not to take part in the entertainment program for the partners. Trump was also not accompanied by his wife Melania.

Rutte tries to calm Selenskyj down

Rutte tried to allay Selensky's fears that the war would be taken out of the focus of the alliance. Rutte assured that the decisions made in Washington would stand.

Trump opposed any further mention of accession. He still hopes to end the Russian war of aggression by making concessions to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. One of these is that Ukraine should give up joining Nato for the time being in return for a ceasefire.

Chancellor on Ukraine's side: tighten sanctions

In a government statement in the Bundestag before the summit, Chancellor Merz criticized the fact that President Putin was still showing no willingness to make peace. He once again called for a tightening of sanctions against Russia. He was "confident" that the US government would also follow this path. "Putin only understands the language of strength", he emphasized.

Merz condemned the latest Russian airstrikes. "Real, lasting peace requires a willingness to make peace on all sides," he said in a government statement ahead of the summit. "Russia, on the other hand, with its new wave of attacks on the Ukrainian civilian population, has made it clear in a barbaric way that it does not currently have this readiness for peace."