OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:30 AM – Tuesday, June 24, 2025
President Donald Trump traveled to the annual the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit meeting at The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday to finalize NATO allies increasing their defense spending.
The summit comes as President Trump was able to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran following a 12-day war.
“Heading to NATO where, at worst, it will be a much calmer period than what I just went through with Israel and Iran. I look forward to seeing all of my very good European friends, and others. Hopefully, much will be accomplished!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
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President Trump has long been a critic of NATO allies for “freeloading” off the United States’ military protection without paying their fair share.
Trump first requested NATO allies to spend 4% or 5% of their gross domestic product during the 2018 summit in Brussels, Belgium.
“NATO was broke, and I said, ‘You’re going to have to pay,’” Trump stated on Tuesday. “And we did a whole thing, and now they’re paying a lot. Then I said, ‘You’re going to have to lift it to 4% or 5%, and 5% is better.’”
Meanwhile, NATO has reached an agreement for all nation members to meet Trump’s 5% demand on defense spending – with the exception being Spain.
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do it,” stated Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Trump responded to Spain’s announcement, adding: “They’re having a problem with Spain… Always a problem with Spain. Spain’s not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them.”
U.S. NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker reiterated Trump’s position regarding allied NATO nations increasing defense spending, stating: “This summit is really about NATO’s credibility, and we are urging all of our Allies to step up to the plate and pay their fair share for transatlantic security.”
Additionally, President Trump has argued that he does not believe the United States needs to hit the 5% defense spending target required of the other nations, stating: “I don’t think we should, but I think they should.”
“A lot of that money goes to rebuilding their bridges, their roads, so it can take heavy equipment,” Trump stated. “And you know, we don’t have any roads in Europe. We don’t have any bridges in Europe.”
President Trump also questioned Article 5 of the NATO treaty which states that an attack on one ally is to be treated as an attack on all, obligating all members to respond.
“Depends on your definition,” Trump stated in response to a reporter asking if he is committed to Article 5. “I’m committed to life and safety, and I’m going to give you an exact definition when I get there. I just don’t want to do it on the back of an airplane.”
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