Flattery of Trump became the main event of the NATO summit. What the media is writing
The NATO Summit in The Hague was remembered for its unusual atmosphere for such an event. The members of the alliance tried to please US President Donald Trump with flattery so that he would continue to support the allies. For this, they agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. How world leaders changed their tactics towards Trump — in the Izvestia digest.
Bloomberg: political flattery helps persuade Trump to support NATO
In order for US President Donald Trump not to stand in the way of NATO at the summit of the military alliance in The Hague, many officials had to resort to tricks. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte exchanged views before delivering a speech at the state dinner and carefully seated the guests. Thus, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump's favorite, was placed next to him. Along with toasted tuna and veal fillet, the US president was also served some flattery.
Bloomberg
"Today I am pleased to announce that NATO has already added $1 trillion in additional defense spending over the past decade,— Rutte told the assembled leaders. "Mr. President, dear Donald, it's because you're pushing us." <...> "We will be with them until the end," a beaming Trump said upon arrival at the World Forum, the venue of the summit, and sat next to Rutte.
The joint efforts bore fruit, and the next day, Trump woke up in a good mood, posting a post about breakfast in the "beautiful Netherlands" with his "wonderful" hosts. At the only plenary session, world leaders were forbidden to speak for more than three minutes, so that Trump would not get bored and leave the event earlier. He spoke for eight minutes. The reality now is that shameless flattery has become a diplomatic strategy for European leaders in dealing with Trump.
CNN: Rutte was ready to do anything to please Trump's ego
During the NATO summit, Rutte said that Trump deserves praise for his actions towards Iran and NATO, overcoming the distrust of many outside observers due to his obsequious tone. But as the summit gained momentum, the feeling grew that he might have made a brilliant diplomatic move. Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, is no stranger to dealing with Trump: he has used his charm during several visits to Washington. Creating the image of an easy-going and laid-back man with a trademark boyish smile on his face, Rutte used his charm as a weapon, as did other NATO leaders.
CNN
French President Emmanuel Macron struck up a stormy friendship with Trump; Finnish President Alex Stubb became close to him while playing golf, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who holds far-right views, earned a reputation as a kind of gossip girl about Trump: according to Trump, she is a "fantastic woman." <...> In The Hague, Rutte seemed ready to do anything to amuse the pride of the US president.
Time after time throughout the summit, Rutte's comments defused the situation around Trump. So, after the US president insulted Iran and Israel, Rutte responded with a joke in front of cameras around the world. "Sometimes daddy has to use strong language," he said, standing next to Trump, when the US president used the analogy of two children fighting to describe the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Politico: Trump has learned not to worry and to love NATO
Trump's current visit to the NATO summit was unlike the one that took place in Brussels in 2018. Then he began by pushing Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic out of his way in front of a group photo, and ended by demanding an emergency meeting at the last minute, at which he threatened to deprive the alliance of American support if other countries did not spend more on defense.
Politico
Concerns about Trump's mood at this year's summit gradually subsided, and then completely faded. The president, his Secretary of State and the Minister of Defense went through all the events without scandals, without open demands, while the allies promised to do more. And by changing tactics from confrontation to flattery, European officials believe they have finally succeeded in persuading Trump to agree on NATO.
During the approximately 24 hours that Trump was in The Hague, European leaders did everything possible to please him. Over dinner, top diplomats praised the president for brokering a cease-fire between Iran and Israel. Dutch King Willem-Alexander invited the US president to stay in his palace, an offer he accepted. And by avoiding lengthy communiques and additional thematic sessions, the NATO organizers avoided potential quarrels over details.
The New York Times: NATO agrees to significant increase in military spending
The NATO summit ended on June 25 with the approval by its European allies of an ambitious spending target and Trump's long-awaited public commitment to the alliance's collective defense. Since his first term, Trump has insisted that allies spend more on their own defense. After a one-day meeting in the Netherlands, they agreed to increase their spending on the army to 5% of their national income by 2035.
The New York Times
This amount consists of 3.5% for traditional military needs such as troops, weapons, shells and missiles, which is sharply higher than the current target of 2%. It also includes another 1.5% for "near-war" projects such as improving roads and bridges, improving the quality of emergency medical care, strengthening cybersecurity and civic resilience.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said before the summit that Spain would spend 2.1% of its GDP on defense, "no more, no less." Slovakia and Belgium also hinted that the 5% promise would be impossible to fulfill. But Rutte outsmarted Spain with a bit of sentimental diplomatic language. The final communique stated that "the allies" — and not "all the allies" — agreed to the figure of 5%.
Reuters: Europe appeases Trump with impossible promises
In an effort to maintain Trump's support for NATO, the European members of the alliance have promised to more than double the amount of funds they allocate for military spending. The problem is that most of them cannot afford to spend 5% of their output on defense, so while some unpleasant sacrifices will be required in national budgets, it will also take some ingenuity in accounting to channel existing defense spending.
Reuters
"They won't achieve that," Guntram Wolf, a senior researcher at the Bruegel think tank, said of the 5% target. "If you have a heavily indebted country, you can't issue more debt, that means a very difficult budget choice," he said, referring to the significant tax increases or spending cuts that would be required.
As part of the political theater, the Hague summit has at least won over its target audience: Trump himself. Amid concerns about his commitment to NATO's mutual defense clause, he said the United States would support its European allies "to the end." Although few dispute the fact that Europe needs to do more to ensure its own security, the fixation on the 5% target has put an end to some debates about how existing military budgets could be used more effectively, for example, through a joint procurement agreement between national governments.
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