Trump and the USA are completely involved in NATO, says the head of the Alliance

The United States and President Donald Trump are completely involved in NATO, said the head of the military alliance on Tuesday, wanting to calm the allies as worried that Washington can abandon the Western military block because of frustration due to uneven defense expenses.

“There is a total involvement of the US President and the US higher management in NATO,” said NATO secretary Mark Rutte on Tuesday morning when the summit began in Hague.

“However, this is associated with expectations. We expect that we will finally deal with this huge irritating, that is, that we do not spend enough as Europeans and Canadians,” said Rutte on a public forum at the top.

“They want us to even out with what the US is spent,” he added, saying that it is not only fair, but also necessary among the constant threat from Russia.

The voltages between Washington, the expenses for defending Canada and European allies have been overshadowed by NATO for many years, but before this peak members agreed to increase defense expenses to 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) to 2035.

This year's meeting takes place against the background of the conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. In addition, there were questions about the US involvement in the alliance.

Rutte said that his key message to European allies was “stop worrying so much.”

“Start making sure that you will (defense) investment plans to launch an industrial base that support for Ukraine remains high, over what you should work on and stop worrying about the USA, they are with us” – he added.

In 2014, NATO members undertook 2% of GDP on defense, but some countries, such as Canada and Spain, tried to reach even this threshold. Other Member States, especially those in the northern and eastern flank of the block and closer to the opponent of Russia, such as Poland and Estonia, significantly exceeded the goal of 2%.

Therefore, some allies will be in Trump's good books when he joins the summit later on Tuesday, while others will not.

Hole reports that he has received a exemption From the new threshold, but the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Ruben Brekelmans questioned this, saying CNBC that Madrid had to match the obligations of others.

“I do not think that Spain receives an exception, because tomorrow they will sign a joint declaration, and the principles we have in NATO also apply to Spain, so they also have to take their responsibility. They have also committed to military plans (agreeing on new ability goals) Two weeks ago and I expect Spain to be filled with their commitment – said Steve Sedgwick from CNBC on the beaten track on Tuesday.

Allies sense the need to maintain Trump on a regular basis, taking into account his known skepticism and criticism of collectives, such as NATO and a group of seven industrialized nations as talking shops that have no substance. Last week, the president left the G7 summit early, seemingly due to the situation in the Middle EastBut The departure was also seen as an expression of his frustration with such peaks.

Trump is to join other NATO leaders on Tuesday evening to the red carpet ceremony and dinner led by the king and the Queen of the Netherlands. The alliance is expected to issue a joint statement at the end of the summit on Wednesday, formally undertaking to increase defense expenditure by 5%.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys told CNBC on Tuesday that Trump's presence at the top, although shorter than the presence of other leaders, was “proof that NATO is a strong functional alliance, that we are ambitious and that we deliver.”

“And tomorrow's statement we will see that we are able to agree to the (an) ambitious reference point at 5% of GDP spent on defense, and this is a great thing, as well as because of the leadership of President Trump and the leadership of our secretary general Marek Rutte,” – told Steve Sedgwick from CNBC.