Pakistan(National Times)- THE HAGUE: US President Donald Trump swept into NATO\u2019s Hague summit Tuesday, with allies hoping a pledge to ramp up defence spending will keep the unpredictable leader of the military superpower committed to protecting them. Trump joined leaders from NATO\u2019s 31 other members to begin the two-day gathering with a dinner hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in the ornate Orange Hall at his royal residence. The alliance hopes to keep Trump bound to its mutual defence vow by meeting his demand for a headline figure of five percent of GDP on defence spending. But Trump refused to say he was committed to NATO\u2019s Article Five clause and protecting Europe, in comments that are likely to rattle his counterparts on the continent. \u201cDepends on your definition. There are numerous definitions of Article Five,\u201d Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One. \u201cI\u2019m committed to being their friend.\u201d To keep Trump on board, NATO members have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure. NATO says the military build-up is crucial to deter Russia, which officials warn is rapidly rebuilding its forces depleted by the war in Ukraine and could be ready to attack the alliance in five years. But it is just as important for keeping Trump engaged, as Washington warns it may shift forces from Europe to face the threat from China. \u201cThey\u2019re going to be lifting it to five percent, that\u2019s good,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt gives them much more power.\u201d While the promise of more spending could win Trump over, deep divisions remain over the approach to Europe\u2019s key security issue: Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. Trump said he would probably meet Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky while in The Hague, with Kyiv hoping to avoid a repeat of the pair\u2019s infamous Oval Office bust-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Radical uncertainty\u2019
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told an audience in The Hague that NATO\u2019s \u201chistoric\u201d spending pledge showed that \u201cthe Europe of defence has finally awakened\u201d. Alliance leaders meanwhile \u2014 many of whom are struggling to find the money that will be required \u2014 lined up to argue that the threats facing the continent required bold steps. \u201cWe must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility,\u201d British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, announcing the UK\u2019s commitment to meet the target. On Wednesday, Starmer will formally announce that his country is buying a dozen F-35A fighters, capable of carrying atomic weapons, to support NATO\u2019s nuclear mission. The purchase marks an expansion of Britain\u2019s nuclear deterrence, which is currently limited to submarine-launched missiles. A statement late Tuesday from Starmer\u2019s office quoted Rutte as saying: \u201cI strongly welcome today\u2019s announcement,\u201d calling it \u201cyet another robust British contribution to NATO\u201d. Separately, powerhouse Germany announced plans to hit the 3.5-percent figure for core defence needs by 2029 \u2014 six years ahead of schedule. At the other end of the scale, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has risked Trump\u2019s ire by insisting his country doesn\u2019t have to meet the five percent target. For its part, the Kremlin attacked NATO for its \u201crampant militarisation\u201d, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: \u201cThis is the reality that surrounds us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump-Zelensky meeting
Since storming back to power, Trump has upended the West\u2019s approach to the three-year conflict by turning his back on Kyiv and opening the door to closer ties with Moscow. Zelensky was set to play less of a central role than at recent NATO gatherings and will not attend the main working session. But Ukraine\u2019s president said he would discuss with Trump the purchase of a package of weapons, mainly air defences. Zelensky will also push Trump to impose new sanctions on Russia, as Moscow has stalled peace efforts being backed by Washington, Kyiv said. \u201cThere are no signs that Putin wants to stop this war. Russia rejects all peace proposals including those from the US. Putin only thinks about war,\u201d the Ukrainian leader told a defence forum held alongside the summit. Trump did briefly meet on the sidelines of the summit late Tuesday with Turkey\u2019s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who urged \u201cclose dialogue\u201d to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Rutte said allies would send the message that support for Kyiv was \u201cunwavering and will persist\u201d. But despite his insistence that Ukraine\u2019s bid for membership remains \u201cirreversible\u201d, NATO will avoid any mention of Kyiv\u2019s push to join after Trump ruled it out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan(National Times)- THE HAGUE: US President Donald Trump swept into NATO\u2019s Hague summit Tuesday, with allies hoping a pledge to ramp up defence spending will keep the unpredictable leader of the military superpower committed to protecting them. Trump joined leaders from NATO\u2019s 31 other members to begin the two-day gathering with a dinner hosted by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n