Trump reaffirms commitment to NATO Article 5 at Hague summit
During the NATO summit in The Hague, US President Donald Trump officially confirmed his commitment to Article 5 of the organization’s treaty and called this promise one of the main news of the event. His words were made in the context of a discussion of the Alliance’s strategic goals and efforts to strengthen collective security. As reported by the British publication The Guardian, citing Trump’s words, the American leader answered a question about the US’s obligations under Article 5 as follows: “We are with them (European allies – ed.) until the end.” This statement emphasizes Washington’s readiness to remain faithful to one of the most important principles of NATO, laid down during the organization’s creation during the Cold War. Article 5 is a guarantee of collective defense, according to which an attack on one of the members is automatically regarded as an attack on the entire Alliance, obliging the participating countries to take a defensive position. During the summit, Trump also acknowledged positive developments in efforts to increase defense spending among partner countries. He noted that he had once called on NATO countries to increase spending to 5% of their GDP in this area over several years. According to the US president, a significant increase - from 2% to 5% - is an achievement that requires extraordinary will and cooperation. “We asked them to increase spending to 5%, and they are doing it - this is really great news,” Trump stressed. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who was next to the American leader, emphasized that this agreement was made possible thanks to the efforts of Donald Trump. According to him, this is precisely what will increase the level of defense contributions in Europe and Canada, which will equalize spending with American ones. “Without Trump’s support, this would not have happened,” Rutte noted. He also emphasized that the main goal is to reduce the imbalance in spending, and for this, more active participation of European countries is necessary. The background to this situation is that Donald Trump, in his previous statements, has repeatedly questioned the US commitment under NATO Article 5 to collective defense. During his trip to The Hague, he expressed the opinion that there is no unambiguous interpretation of this article, which caused a certain resonance in diplomatic circles. In turn, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on politicians to evaluate the actions of member states based on their concrete actions and contributions to collective defense, and not just on political statements that may raise doubts or concerns. Thus, during the summit in The Hague, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of NATO's collective security, emphasizing the importance of solidarity and the implementation of agreements not only in words, but also in real actions. These efforts are aimed at supporting stability in the European region and strengthening the Alliance's defense capabilities in response to modern challenges.