Washington, Jun 25 (AP) NATO member leaders, including US President Donald Trump, gathered on Wednesday for a summit in the Netherlands.
They are expected to agree upon a new defence spending target of 5 per cent of gross domestic product.
But Spain announced that it wouldn't be able to reach the target by the new 2035 deadline, calling it “unreasonable”.
Belgium signalled that it wouldn't get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defence spending.
On Tuesday, Trump complained that “there's a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly.”
Here is the latest:
Trump says he'll meet with Zelenskyy
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
“We'll discuss the obvious,” Trump said. “We'll discuss his difficulties.”
Trump added of Zelenskyy: “Nice guy.”
The two leaders were supposed to meet at the Group of Seven summit in Canada earlier this month, but Trump departed for Washington early to deal with the Middle East conflict.
Hungary's leader says Russia not a real threat
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán doesn't believe, as other European countries do, that Russia could carry out an attack on NATO territory by the end of the decade.
“I think Russia is not strong enough to represent a real threat to us. We are far stronger,” said Orban, fielding questions from reporters, leaning back with his hands thrust into his pockets.
Orban is considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe.
German leader confident about spending boost
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he's confident NATO members will decide on a drastic increase in defence spending “not to do anyone a favour”, but because they are convinced that the threat level has changed.
Merz said as he arrived at the NATO summit that he believes the decision to raise the alliance's spending target to a cumulative 5 per cent of gross domestic product will be made “in great harmony”.
He said that allies agree that “the threat situation has changed, and the threat is Russia in particular”.
Merz added: “I want to say expressly that we are making the decisions we are making not to do anyone a favour, but we are making these decisions out of … our own conviction that NATO as a whole, and this regards the European part of NATO above all, must do more in the coming years to secure its own defense capability.”
Trump has breakfast with the king and queen
President Donald Trump began his first — and only — full day at the NATO summit with a breakfast courtesy of the Dutch king and queen.
Trump had stayed overnight at the Huis Ten Bosch palace at the invitation of Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
Only a still photographer was allowed to witness the meal on behalf of the White House press corps.
“The day begins in the beautiful Netherlands,” Trump posted on his social media account later Wednesday morning. “The King and Queen are beautiful and spectacular people. Our breakfast meeting was great! Now it's off to the very important NATO Meetings. The USA will be very well represented!”
Birth of a new NATO
Those are the words of Finland's president about the 5 per cent spending goal.
While Spain says it can't commit to that increase, other countries closer to the borders of Russia and Ukraine say they can.
“This is a big win, I think, for both President Trump and I think it's also a big win for Europe,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters. “We're witnessing the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO.”
More missiles for Ukraine
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK will provide 350 air defence missiles to Ukraine, funded by 70 million pounds (USD 95 million) raised from the interest on seized Russian assets.
The announcement came as the UK, along with other NATO members, pledges to increase spending on security to 5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2035. The total includes 3.5 per cent on defence and another 1.5 per cent on broader security and resilience.
UK boosting its nuclear arsenal
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK will buy 12 US-made F35 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and join NATO's shared airborne nuclear mission.
The government says it is “the biggest strengthening of the UK's nuclear posture in a generation”.
The UK phased out air-dropped atomic weapons after the end of the Cold War, so all of its atomic weapons are submarine-based missiles.
The use of nuclear weapons by the UK as part of the mission would require the authorisation of the alliance's nuclear planning group as well as the US president and British prime minister.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the announcement, saying it was “yet another robust British contribution to NATO”.
NATO chief upbeat before summit
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says he's looking forward to what he describes as a “transformational” summit of NATO leaders as they seek to agree on a huge hike in defence spending.
US President Donald Trump was arriving at the summit later Wednesday after raising questions a day earlier about his commitment to NATO's cornerstone mutual defense guarantee.
Trump spent the night at a royal palace in The Hague as a guest of Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
Spurred by Trump's demands that NATO allies share the burden of defence spending more fairly, leaders are set to pledge to spend 5 per cent of their economic output on defence by 2035, although Spain has said it will not meet that target.
Trump insisted on Tuesday that “there's a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly”. (AP) PY
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