Israel-Iran ceasefire seems to hold as Trump lands in Europe for NATO summit
With an Israel-Iran ceasefire holding after a shaky start, Trump plans to jet in and out of a NATO summit in The Hague.
WASHINGTON – With his Israel-Iran ceasefire fraying, President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One for a NATO summit in Europe where the Mideast conflict was likely to dominate.
The summit, Trump's first since returning to the White House, was meant to be a victory lap.
Laggard American allies were finally giving him the increase in defense spending he'd long wanted. "Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte texted him. "You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done."
But a restless Trump was in no mood to celebrate: his mind was on a crisis he thought he'd solved, only to see his handcrafted ceasefire begin to unravel as Israel accused Iran of a violation and started up new airstrikes early on June 24.
"Heading to NATO where, at worst, it will be a much calmer period than what I just went through with Israel and Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 24 as he flew across the Atlantic.
But the Israel-Iran conflict − and Trump's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites − has scrambled the high-stakes meeting as world leaders search for an endgame to the 12-day air war that's killed hundreds of people in Iran and dozens in Israel.
Rutte, a former prime minister of the Netherlands, told Trump his Iran strikes were "truly extraordinary, and something that no one else dared to do."
Here's what to know about President Trump at the NATO summit at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Europeans to spend more on defense
If all goes as planned, America’s allies will announce a dramatic hike in defense spending at a NATO Summit this week, in a victory for Trump. After months of haranguing from the U.S. leader to exceed a 2% GDP spending target, nations are planning to announce a new goal of 5%.
The triumph could be a muted one as leaders focus on ending the conflict over Iran's nuclear program. Trump pushed back his departure from Washington by a day to focus on the ceasefire.
Iran conflict a shadow on NATO summit
Iran and its support for chief NATO adversary Russia were top of mind, as leaders gathered for the talks.
“Let’s not forget Iran is heavily involved in the fight of Russia against Ukraine by, for example, their drone deliveries,” NATO Secretary-General Rutte said during a news conference on the eve of the gathering. “So, no doubt it will emerge in the discussions.”
Trump later announced a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran that the White House hoped would put the wind at his back heading into Europe. But by the next morning, the agreement already appeared to be falling apart.
The president told reporters he thought both nations had violated the agreement. "I'm not sure they did it intentionally, they couldn't rein people back," Trump said. "I don't like the fact that Israel went out this morning at all, and I'm going to see if I can stop it."
Later, Trump posted that the "Ceasefire is in effect!"
Allies to place less focus on Ukraine
The gathering, held in Rutte's hometown, comes at a critical juncture for the alliance, whose leaders fretted at last year’s summit about Trump’s possible return to power. Trump has repeatedly threatened not to defend NATO nations that don’t pay up and has pulled back drastically on unconditional U.S. support for Ukraine.
In a bid to appease Trump, who has sought a negotiated end to the Russian war, allies are placing less focus on Ukraine than at past summits.
Unlike in 2023, when former President Joe Biden declared that "Ukraine's future lies at NATO,” the alliance’s NATO-Ukraine Council will not even hold a leaders-level meeting, to avoid clashing with Trump.
On the night of Trump’s arrival, heads of state will attend a social reception hosted by King Willem-Alexander at a palace. Foreign ministers and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will discuss Ukraine at a separate working dinner.
Rutte said nations would reaffirm their support for Ukraine at a range of meetings that will be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of his team.
“You will see important language about Ukraine, including connecting the defense spending, up to 2035 to Ukraine, and the need for Ukraine to stay in the fight,” he said of the joint communique that leaders are expected to release.
It was unclear whether Trump would personally meet with Zelenskyy, after leaving early from a Group of Seven summit where he was supposed to sit down with the Ukrainian leader last week. "Yeah, probably," he told reporters on Air Force One.
Trump was not listed as participating in a meeting with Rutte, the Ukrainian president and several European leaders that NATO added to the last day of its official schedule.
Allies agree to increase defense spending
The emphasis of the summit will be on ending Russia's war on Ukraine, ramping up weapons production and an agreement by NATO nations to spend more of their GDP on defense, Rutte said earlier.
Leaders agreed in 2023 to spend a minimum of 2%. NATO now says all of the alliance’s members are on track to meet or exceed the guideline.
Trump is demanding NATO nations boost their spending to 5%, and members have spent months brainstorming creative ways to meet the new goal.
That includes a five-fold increase in air defense capabilities, thousands of tanks and armored vehicles and millions of rounds of artillery ammunition, Rutte said at a news conference.
NATO nations negotiated to have infrastructure such as roads, bridges and airports and cybersecurity spending count toward a 1.5% allotment for defense-related expenditures.
“This is not a grab bag that everybody can just throw additional spending into, but it’s crucial things like infrastructure that enables military mobility,” U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker told reporters.
But a last-minute dispute with Spain has threatened to derail those plans. Spain announced in April it would boost spending to 2.1% of its GDP. But Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced 5% was out of the question.
"NATO is going to have to deal with Spain," Trump told reporters June 20.
The United States already spends roughly 3.4% of its GDP on defense. And it is close to spending 1.5% on defense-related expenditures, the NATO secretary-general said.
Trump: 5% for thee, not me
Trump has been adamant that allies spend 5% of their GDP on defense. But he told reporters on June 20 that the United States should be exempt.
“I don't think we should, but I think they should. We've been spending, we've been supporting NATO so long,” Trump said.