THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) 鈥� U.S. President on Wednesday wrapped up participation in the annual facing an alliance that had largely bent to his will.
Far from the tense meetings of Trump's first term, much of the annual summit in The Hague seemed catered to the impulses and worldviews of the Republican president whose 鈥淎merica First鈥� foreign policy ethos downplays the importance and influence of multilateral coalitions.
After less than 24 hours on the ground in the Netherlands, Trump headed back to Washington having secured a major policy change he's pushed for since 2017: a significant boost in defense spending by other NATO countries whom the president has for years accused of freeloading off the United States. The focus on Ukraine was scaled back dramatically, with its earning only a passing mention in the summit's official statement, and Ukrainian President profile at the gathering diminished.
Trump also sent NATO scattering for reassurances that the United States would remain committed to the alliance's , affirming on Wednesday that he would abide by Article 5 of the NATO treaty just a day after he rattled the 32-nation alliance by being equivocal about the pact.
鈥淚 stand with it. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 here," Trump said when asked to clarify his stance on Article 5. "If I didn鈥檛 stand with it, I wouldn鈥檛 be here.鈥�
Trump shifts his tone on NATO
At a news conference later Wednesday, Trump sounded reflective as he described feeling inspired by other NATO countries that were motivated to provide for their own defense by bolstering their own spending.
鈥淭hey want to protect their country, and they need the United States, and without the United States, it鈥檚 not going to be the same,鈥� Trump said, later adding: 鈥淚 left here differently. I -- I left here saying, 鈥楾hese people really love their countries. It鈥檚 not a rip-off.鈥� And we are here to help them protect their country.鈥�
He had mused just a day earlier that whether he abides by the treaty 鈥渄epends on your definition鈥� of Article 5.
The mutual praise in The Hague on Wednesday stands in stark contrast to Trump's previous harsh words for the alliance, whose value he had long questioned. It also reflects the efforts made by other world leaders during the early months of Trump's second term to approach the mercurial president using his own language of superlatives and flattery.
British Prime Minister showed up to the Oval Office in February to hand-deliver an invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit, which Starmer called 鈥渦nprecedented.鈥� Italy鈥檚 has promised to 鈥渕ake the West great again,鈥� echoing Trump鈥檚 campaign slogan. NATO Secretary-General wrote in a message to 鈥淢r. President, dear Donald鈥� that his push for increased alliance defense spending would help 鈥渁chieve something NO American president in decades could get done.鈥�
Trump gets a win on spending increase
The 32 leaders endorsed a final summit statement saying: 鈥淎llies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.鈥�
鈥淚've been asking them to go up to 5% for a number of years,鈥� Trump said earlier in the day as he met with Rutte, whose the U.S. president posted on his Truth Social account.
Spain had already officially announced that it cannot meet the target, and others have voiced reservations. Trump sounded peeved by Spain's decision and said he'd have the country make up for it by paying higher tariffs to the United States as part of a trade deal.
Spain belongs to the European Union, the world鈥檚 largest trading bloc, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of all 27 member countries. They are not meant to negotiate trade deals individually.
NATO members took pains to be solicitious of Trump
Trump's turn at this year's summit came eight years after his NATO debut in 2017, a gathering that was perhaps most remembered by , the prime minister of Montenegro, as the U.S. president jostled toward the front of the pack of world leaders during a NATO headquarters tour.
But the atmosphere around Trump this week seemed far chummier than in past years.
The president was offered 鈥� and accepted 鈥� the chance to sleep Tuesday night at the Dutch royal palace. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, Trump said, were 鈥渂eautiful people, great people, big, beautiful heart.鈥�
Meanwhile, Rutte referred to Trump as a 鈥渄addy" who 鈥渉as to sometimes use strong language鈥� to stop a conflict between two warring entities 鈥� an analogy that the secretary-general used on the war between Israel and Iran.
鈥淒oesn't he deserve some praise?" Rutte said later at his own news conference when asked whether his use of 鈥渄addy鈥� for Trump made him appear weak.
Few may have gone as far as Rutte, who has maintained a good relationship with Trump since the U.S. president returned to office, but other world leaders have found different ways to flatter Trump.
Lithuanian President , as he advocated for the increase in defense spending by NATO allies, riffed on Trump's campaign rally cry. 鈥淲e should choose a motto: 鈥楳ake NATO great again,鈥欌�� he said.
Asked about Rutte鈥檚 behavior toward Trump, German Chancellor said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 find it obsequious."
鈥淚 expressed it a bit more soberly in my words, but of course it is and remains true that it was only this U.S. administration 鈥� in combination with the war in Ukraine 鈥� that prompted us to decide what we decided today," said Merz.
Trump administration lashes out at reporting on strike effectiveness
The and the recent U.S. strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities hung heavily over this year's gathering. After Trump arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday, The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that a U.S. intelligence report suggested in an early assessment that Iran's nuclear program had been by weekend strikes and was not 鈥渃ompletely and fully obliterated,鈥� as Trump had said.
But on Wednesday morning, Trump and other senior Cabinet officials vigorously pushed back on the assessment, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration was launching an investigation into who disclosed those findings to reporters.
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This story has been corrected to show Trump stayed at the Dutch king鈥檚 palace, not the Danish king鈥檚 palace.
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Superville reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this report.
Seung Min Kim And Darlene Superville, The Associated Press
