The Hague of the Netherlands
CNN
–
That must have been what the NATO chief needed in the end.
Late Tuesday, the eve of the important summit that concluded generational investments in NATO’s defense, Donald Trump’s social account of truth pinged with a single photo.
“You’re jumping into another great success in The Hague tonight,” Latte’s message read.
“Europe is going to pay on a massive scale the way it should be, and that’s what will be your victory,” he continued.
“You will achieve something for decades that the US president cannot achieve.”
The world of diplomacy has curved towards many of the Trump White House norms, but this was extreme.
The next day, doubled his comments saying that Trump had credited his actions against Iran and NATO, and Latte walked through the disbelief of many observers in his tone of kowtoing. But as the summit concluded, there was a growing sense that he might have pulled away from his diplomatic masterstroke.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Latte is unfamiliar with dealings with Trump, who has made a simple appeal by visiting Washington, D.C. several times during Trump’s first term.
It exudes a relaxed and relaxed image – his distinctive boyish smile is not far from his face – Latte’s charming attacks reflect the attacks of other NATO leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron is exploring a raucous bromance with Trump. Finland’s President Alex Stubb joined him in the golf round, and Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has earned Trump’s whispers reputation. She is “a fantastic woman” in Trump’s words.
Rutte’s message – signed with his last name – probably talking about the relationship of Parry. One of Trump’s reactions on Wednesday was, “I think he likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know. I’ll come back and I hit him hard,” Trump announced at his press conference on Wednesday.
But in The Hague, Latte seemed ready to do anything to hone the ego of the US president and save his face.
Trump’s decision to attack Iran’s nuclear program was “very impressive,” the NATO chief told Trump. “The signal it sends to other parts of the world is that this President, in that regard, yes, he is a man of peace, but he is willing to use his power if necessary.”
Again and again around the summit, Latte’s mistakes softened Trump’s passing. He softened his landing after the fiery “f**k” and Israel’s latest missile exchange in Iran illuminated international headlines.
Rutte’s response: A joke in front of cameras around the world.
“Daddy has to use strong words at times,” he said next to Trump.
Latte later said he didn’t call Trump “daddy,” but he simply used the phors.
The Dutch did not spare praise for Trump’s strike against Iran (a technical conflict outside the NATO wheelhouse).
“The Executive Director knows that personal relationships will go a long way with this administration,” Tory Tausig, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and former NATO policy advisor for the Pentagon, told CNN.
“I think this is a kind of North moment. Make sure there are no fireworks in the Hague. I’ll get a good photo shoot and go home,” she added.
Beyond the latte, the entire summit was sculpted around the cards.
The slimmed schedule featured a single session for leaders. Experts have suggested that this is for Trump, who skipped the end of the G7 summit earlier this month, and missed a meeting with Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky.
Of course, the results of the summit are pre-defined primarily after a round of pre-negotiations to ensure that the leader must only declare rubber stamps.
The Ukrainian war with Russia is the most pressing issue regarding the NATO agenda and was also removed from the final declaration of the summit. This was the first time that Russian President Putin was missing in 2022 since the complete invasion of Ukraine.
Even the crown jewels of the rally were a Trump brand product to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense (by 2035, split into core defense requirements, with 1.5% defence-related spending);
In January, Trump lofted the idea of a 5% spending target for NATO members. This is a number that has not been seriously considered before, as members were limited to 2%.
“They can all afford it. They’re 2%, but they should be 5%,” he told the journalist.
But Latte may have had a final laugh.
The summit was a victory for NATO by all accounts. Members unanimously agreed to boost spending on post-Cold War highs and thanked Trump.
“In diplomacy, you try to gain goals and objectives. What did you achieve here? We achieved historic results. NATO has returned to its roots in collective defense,” Finland’s Stubb told CNN to the summit bystanders.
Spain was a notable exception, pushing forward a soft language that the Iberian state may have left a loophole to fulfill its responsibility for NATO’s military capabilities without spending 5% of its GDP. (The final summit declaration signed by NATO members only introduced the “allies” of the expenditure clause, while others spoke about the commitments “we” make.)
Leader – Of course, according to Rutte, Trump singled out as the only pressure responsible for ultimately corrupting NATO allies on previously unthinkable spending targets.
Polish President Andrzezi Duda told journalists at the summit.
“Without Donald Trump’s leadership, that would not be possible,” he added.
His Lithuanian counterpart welcomed the pressure Trump had placed on his stingy allies, so he proposed a new motto for the alliance: “Make NATO great again.”
“I’m going on because of all the pressure we can get,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Doville Sacarien told CNN. The frontline small nations with Russia were supported by the alliance-wide commitment to meeting the spending levels they primarily accused of.
Everyone wins
Prior to the summit, one Western European official shared his fear with CNN.
However, in public, comments about Latte’s message to Trump were mostly off limits, with leaders shaking and shaking questions.
The Finnish president was not drawn to the message of the NATO Secretary General, but he said there are “a lot of different forms of diplomacy.”
The victims, particularly due to diplomatic skirmishes with Trump – were fewer than expected. Only Spain has caught Flak from the US president by dragging its foot through 5% GDP expenditure.
“What they did is terrible,” Trump said. “We’re going to have them pay twice as much,” he said.
Even Zelensky, who has a tumultuous relationship with Trump, won.
He stopped violating further US aid to Ukraine, but Trump suggested that Kiev might see future delivery of patriot missile systems from the United States. And he accused Putin as “misplaced,” and Russian leaders may have a territorial design that expands even further than Ukraine.
Finally, Trump’s own view on NATO – often the thorny subject of a well-known trading president – saw a reversal.
“These people really love their country,” Trump said of NATO leaders at a press conference closing the NATO summit. “It’s not a rift. We’re here to help them protect their country.”
“I came here because that was what I had to do,” he added.