Meeting with Zelensky Also Scheduled
US President Donald Trump began his official schedule for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on the 24th (local time) in The Hague, Netherlands.
On the afternoon of the same day, President Trump arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport aboard Air Force One and headed to Huis ten Bosch Palace, where a welcome dinner hosted by King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands was held.
US President Donald Trump is taking a commemorative photo of the NATO summit on the 24th (local time) with King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
This dinner marks the first time that the leaders of all 32 member states are gathering in one place. The 32 heads of state are scheduled to hold the North Atlantic Council (NAC) plenary session on the morning of the 25th, following the dinner. A press conference is planned for the afternoon.
This year's summit joint statement is expected to include an agreement for all member states to spend a total of 5% of their GDP on defense by 2035?3.5% as direct military expenditures and 1.5% as indirect security-related costs. President Trump, who has demanded increased defense spending from European allies since his candidacy, is likely to highlight this as his political and diplomatic achievement.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who is presiding over the summit for the first time since taking office, appears to be making efforts to avoid upsetting President Trump and to minimize any disruptions to the meeting. For example, while previous NATO summits held the NAC plenary session two or three times, this year it has been reduced to a single session. This adjustment reflects President Trump's aversion to multilateral and lengthy meetings.
This atmosphere is also evident in the text messages between Secretary General Rutte and President Trump, which President Trump made public on his social media platform, Truth Social. Secretary General Rutte told President Trump, "It wasn't easy, but we got everyone to sign on to 5%. You will achieve what no other American president has managed in decades. Europe will pay its fair share, and this will be your victory."
In response to reporters' questions about whether it was appropriate to disclose private messages, Secretary General Rutte said, "There is no problem since there is nothing confidential."
Although the summit schedule has been significantly shortened in consideration of President Trump's preferences, NATO and its member states remain concerned about the possibility of unexpected developments. President Trump previously made a sudden return to the United States during the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Canada on June 16-17.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the dinner. President Trump and President Zelensky are meeting face-to-face for the first time in about two months since the funeral of Pope Francis in April. According to the Ukrainian presidential office, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting in The Hague.
During his two-day, one-night visit to The Hague, President Trump is expected to spend the night at Huis ten Bosch Palace, where the dinner is being held, at the invitation of the Dutch royal family.
He had originally planned to stay at a five-star hotel about 30 kilometers from The Hague, but this was changed at the last minute. Local media reported that while former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush have stayed at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, where the Dutch king's office is located, it is unusual for a guest to be invited to Huis ten Bosch Palace, the royal residence.
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