Donald Trump is coming to the NATO summit in The Hague. It was long uncertain whether the American president would join the summit on June 24 and 25. He threatened not to come if countries do not want to meet his defense standard of 5 percent.
Trump confirmed his arrival on Thursday in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Dick Schoof, reports the Government Information Service.
Schoof previously shared on X that he had a “pleasant conversation” with Trump. “We looked forward to his coming to the NATO summit next month in The Hague, where I emphasized that it is a great honor for the Netherlands to welcome him and all other NATO allies.”
It was not yet certain whether Trump wanted to join the summit. The meeting will discuss, among other things, the defense standard. The American president believes that all member states should spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.
Currently, the standard is 2 percent, but it was recently announced that NATO wants to increase that standard to 3.5 percent. Trump is therefore adding another scoop. He has therefore threatened several times that NATO countries that he believes do not pay enough will no longer receive protection from the United States.
Trump’s Wish will be discussed at the Summit
Schoof emphasized in his message that “especially in these times it is essential that we act together as NATO, so that we stand strong together.” Whether the Netherlands can and wants to meet Trump’s wish is still questionable.
NATO chief Mark Rutte already proposed the idea of 3.5 percent at the beginning of this month. He wanted member states to increase their defense spending to 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product.
On top of that, Rutte wanted countries to spend 1.5 percent on other defense-related matters. In this way, the member states would be able to meet Trump’s requirement.