With the arrival of Trump, the approximately 35 government leaders, heads of state, and ministers are complete who will dine with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.
Now that Trump has arrived at the palace, the A4 towards Amsterdam is open again at Schiphol. There are still a few lanes closed, but traffic can use the road again, the ANWB reports.
Trump gets out of the car at Paleis Huis ten Bosch. He will also be staying there at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander.
NU.nl reader Jasper managed to photograph Trump while the American president was on his way to the palace.
Here you see Trump’s route from Schiphol to the palace and which roads are closed for it.
Trump’s motorcade in Wassenaar.
Trump has arrived at Paleis Huis ten Bosch.
Trump departed from Schiphol to The Hague, the ANP reports. The car left in a convoy of over thirty vehicles. The car is escorted by the Dutch police and the American Secret Service.
While the government leaders dine with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in Paleis Huis ten Bosch, the ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs of the NATO countries also eat together. Their working dinners are at a less royal location: they eat on the grounds of the World Forum in The Hague. That is the location where the summit is taking place these days.
Residents are standing near the Haagse Bos along the route to catch a glimpse of Trump and other government leaders.
Several hundred people protested on the beach of Scheveningen on Tuesday. They believe that NATO countries are complicit in the war in Gaza.
Trump is in ‘The Beast’. Shortly before, he waved to the press.
Trump stepped out of Air Force One with his white cap.
The motorcade has departed in the direction of Paleis Huis ten Bosch. Actually, Trump was supposed to meet the king there at 7:45 PM and then join the dinner. Trump will be the last guest to arrive. Hopefully, the other dinner guests are not yet hungry, because they will have to wait a while before they can eat.
There he is: Trump has stepped out and is wearing a white cap with USA on it. He gets into ‘The Beast’, which is parked right at the bottom of the plane’s stairs.
Now we are waiting for Trump to come down from Air Force One.
Meanwhile, more and more government leaders are arriving at Paleis Huis ten Bosch. The photo shows the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who is walking up the steps of the king’s residential palace.
Trump landed at Schiphol at 7:37 PM. He was delayed, as he was actually supposed to land at 7:00 PM. He now needs to get to Paleis Huis ten Bosch quickly, where he has a meeting with the king scheduled.
‘The Beast’ is ready to pick up Trump
The A4 towards Amsterdam is closed around Schiphol. From just after the Burgerveen junction, traffic is being diverted via the N201 and N232. According to the police, this is due to “convoys” arriving for the NATO summit.
Princess Amalia will dine with her father King Willem-Alexander with the government leaders of NATO countries.
Government leaders from NATO partners, such as Ukraine, Japan, and Australia, have also been invited. Furthermore, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will come to Paleis Huis ten Bosch.
Also NATO chief Rutte is invited for the dinner and has arrived.
Dick Schoof and his partner have arrived at Paleis Huis ten Bosch for the dinner with, among others, King Willem-Alexander.
Mark Rutte does not mind that Trump has made his message to him public. “It was not planned, but there is nothing strange in it,” he says about it. The message states, among other things, that Europe will “pay MUCH more” thanks to Trump. Rutte has also showered Trump with compliments.
The royal couple is busy today. Willem-Alexander and Máxima have also had Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox visiting.
Helicopters have been circulating above the Haagse Bos, where Paleis Huis ten Bosch is located, for two hours. The government leaders and heads of state will gather there from 7:00 PM for the dinner, which starts at 8:00 PM. King Willem-Alexander will give a speech before the dinner.
President Trump is likely to land at Schiphol at 7:30 PM. He then has to rush to the palace to be on time. Trump is allowed to sleep there tonight.
Trump was supposed to arrive at Schiphol at 7:00 PM, but he is delayed. The expectation is now that he will land at 7:30 PM.
The police are so far satisfied with the operation around the NATO summit, reports commander Willem Woelders. “What the colleagues are putting down is a top performance,” says Woelders. He calls it “a lot of work” and emphasizes that sharpness remains required, because there is still a day and a half to go.
Woelders expects that at least half of all delegations will be in the country by the end of the afternoon.
Are you curious about the full content of Zelensky’s speech? You can read it here.
The ministers of NATO countries and defense companies have not been able to set measurable goals at the NATO summit. That says outgoing Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. But according to him, it is actually not possible to make agreements about, for example, how many tanks should be produced. “It involves so many different systems and so many countries,” he says.
A joint statement does state that the defense companies and NATO countries want to work together more to get weapon production going.
Among others, Geert Wilders says he is impressed by the speech of President Volodymyr Zelensky. CDA faction chairman Henri Bontenbal also found it “impressive to see him in the flesh”. He thinks it is right that Zelensky was allowed to address the House of Representatives, because Ukraine also protects Europe against Russia.
BBB faction leader Caroline van der Plas and SP leader Jimmy Dijk again express their support for Ukraine. “We have always done that as BBB and will continue to do so,” said Van der Plas.
A proposal for the protection of Ukraine after a possible ceasefire with Russia will be ready soon, says British Defense Minister John Healey at the NATO summit. Together with the French Defense Minister, he leads the so-called coalition of willing countries. This coalition mainly includes European countries, including the Netherlands.
In total, more than two hundred planners from about thirty countries are working on a plan to keep Ukraine safe when the war with Russia is over. First, the coalition talked about sending a troop force, but that has been abandoned. Now the plan mainly focuses on securing Ukrainian airspace and the Black Sea.
Almost all members of the House of Representatives were present at Zelensky’s speech. Only the three members of FVD stayed away. Party leader Thierry Baudet finds it inappropriate for a foreign head of state to speak in the House of Representatives. He also believes that Zelenksy is responsible for the war with Russia.
Furthermore, D66 leader Rob Jetten was absent due to private circumstances.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also arrived and walks out of the plane with his wife Brigitte at Schiphol.
Zelensky’s speech started a bit later because he visited the king. Zelensky’s speech also had to be printed. “And all Ukrainian plugs do not fit on the Dutch ones,” says Chamber President Martin Bosma. He then welcomes Zelensky and thanks him for making time in his busy schedule.