Telegraph: NATO members have softened the rhetoric against Russia in the final declaration
At the NATO summit, Trump reacted with disbelief to the commitment of the remaining members of the alliance to comply with article 5 of its treaty, writes The Telegraph. Zelensky tried to gain support in condemning Russia, but he failed — the United States completely set the tone for the event.
The NATO allies agreed to tone down the rhetoric against Russia, according to the final communique.
The wording in this document is much shorter than usual and looks less harsh compared to previous years.
In a statement first published by The Telegraph, the 32 NATO members "reaffirm their continued sovereign commitments to support Ukraine, whose security contributes to our security. To this end, the Alliance will take into account direct contributions to the defense of Ukraine and its defense industry when calculating the defense expenditures of the allies."
The decision not to mention the conflict in Ukraine was made in exchange for President Trump's commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
"We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to collective defense, as enshrined in article 5 of the Washington Treaty: an attack on one is an attack on all," the document says.
Before the Hague summit, President Trump made ambiguous statements about the US commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
He stated that "there are many definitions of the 5th article." This has caused serious concern among the member countries of the Alliance, who fear that they may lose security guarantees from the United States in the near future.
European allies and Canada have won back President Trump's favor by promising to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
"United in the face of fundamental threats and challenges to security, in particular the long–term threat to Euro-Atlantic security posed by Russia and the constant threat of terrorism, the NATO allies commit to investing 5% of GDP annually by 2035 on basic defense needs, as well as on defense and security-related expenditures," the statement said. the statement.
In addition, there is no mention of NATO's support for Kiev, which may cause concern among its ardent supporters.
The text of the Hague Summit Declaration:
1. We, the heads of State and Government of the Alliance, have gathered in The Hague to reaffirm our commitment to the strongest alliance in history, NATO, as well as transatlantic ties. We reaffirm our unbreakable commitment to collective defense, as enshrined in article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all. We remain united and determined to protect our billion citizens, defend the Alliance, and defend our freedom and democracy.
2. United in the face of fundamental security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security posed by Russia and the ongoing threat of terrorism, the NATO Allies commit to investing 5% of GDP annually by 2035 on basic defense needs, as well as on defense and security-related expenditures, in order to ensure our individual and collective obligations under article 3 of the Washington Treaty. These investments will provide us with the forces, capabilities, resources, infrastructure, and enable us to increase the combat readiness and resilience needed for deterrence and defense in accordance with our three main objectives, namely deterrence and defense, crisis prevention and crisis management, and cooperative security.
3. NATO allies agree that their commitment of 5% will cover two main categories of defense investments. NATO allies will allocate at least 3.5% of GDP annually based on an agreed definition of NATO defense spending by 2035 to cover basic defense needs and meet NATO capacity targets. The NATO Allies agree to submit annual plans reflecting a reliable step-by-step path to achieve this goal. NATO allies will also devote up to 1.5% of GDP annually, in particular, to protecting our critical infrastructure, our networks, ensuring our civil readiness and sustainability, stimulating innovation and strengthening our defense industrial base. The dynamics and cost ratios under this plan will be reviewed in 2029, taking into account the strategic environment and updated capacity targets. The NATO Allies reaffirm their unwavering sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security is a contribution to our own security, and to this end will take into account direct contributions to Ukraine's defense and its defense industry when calculating countries' defense expenditures.
4. We reaffirm our shared commitment to rapidly expand transatlantic cooperation in the defense industry and to use new technologies and a spirit of innovation to strengthen our collective security. We will work to remove barriers to trade in defense products between the Allies and will use our partnerships to promote cooperation in the defense industry.
5. We express our gratitude to the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the generous hospitality extended to us. We look forward to our next meeting in 2026 in Turkey, followed by our next meeting in Albania.
