President Donald Trump arrived at a pivotal NATO summit on Wednesday, confronting an alliance that has been reshaped in his image, yet remains deeply unsettled by his latest remarks questioning the U.S. commitment to collective defense.
In a series of meetings and offhand remarks leading up to the summit, Trump once again cast doubt on Article 5—the bedrock of NATO’s mutual defense pact—stating that his support for the clause “depends on your definition.” The comment, made aboard Air Force One en route to the Netherlands, has added another layer of tension to a gathering already dominated by concerns over Russia’s aggression and Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy.
“There’s numerous definitions of Article 5,” Trump told reporters. “But I’m committed to being their friends.” He indicated he would elaborate further at the summit, leaving allies scrambling to interpret his position.
Despite the unease, Trump is also being credited—at least in part—for steering NATO toward one of its most significant policy shifts in years: a new defense spending pledge. Nearly all member nations, with the exception of Spain, are expected to endorse Trump’s longstanding demand that countries boost their defense budgets to 5% of GDP, a dramatic increase from the previous 2% benchmark.
“I’ve been asking them to go up to 5% for a number of years,” Trump said during a morning meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “I think that’s going to be very big news.”
The push reflects both Trump’s consistent grievance that the U.S. has borne too much of NATO’s financial burden and a strategic pivot by European nations seeking to fortify their defenses amid Russia’s war in Ukraine—and possibly, to keep Trump from pulling away if he returns to the presidency.
Still, concerns about American reliability loom large. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), attending the summit as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump’s past rhetoric had created “understandable questions” among allies about America’s long-term commitment.
“We were very strong and reassuring everyone that we are committed to NATO, we are committed to Article 5,” Shaheen said, adding that U.S. presence on NATO’s eastern flank would remain a priority.
Trump’s return to Europe also coincides with mounting questions over his role in brokering a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran following a dramatic escalation in hostilities. After U.S. airstrikes hit key Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, a temporary halt in fighting was declared—a development Trump has called a major diplomatic victory.
“That hit ended the war,” Trump said Wednesday, comparing the airstrikes to the atomic bombings that ended World War II. “I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing.”
However, a leaked U.S. intelligence report published by major outlets including the Associated Press suggests otherwise, stating the strikes had only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who accompanied Trump to the summit, dismissed the report and announced an investigation into the leak.
Trump, unfazed by the intelligence community’s findings, dismissed them as inaccurate and politically motivated. “We obliterated it,” he insisted.
While the White House has not released a full schedule of Trump’s bilateral meetings, he confirmed plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Wednesday—a high-stakes encounter as Europe’s largest land war in decades grinds on.
As the summit continues, leaders find themselves navigating a NATO that looks more like the one Trump demanded during his presidency—better funded, more hawkish, and yet still uncertain about its most powerful member’s long-term allegiance.
