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NATO summit underway in the Hague: Live Updates NATO commits to doubling military budgets: Live Updates
(about 3 hours later)
The event is expected to have a decreased focus on Ukraine support compared to previous years The US-led bloc’s member states agreed to significantly increase military expenditures
NATO leaders have convened for a two-day summit in the Hague. The agenda of the US-led gathering is expected to revolve around the stand-off between Israel and Iran, Tehran’s nuclear program, the Ukraine conflict, and an increase in member states’ defense spending. The leaders of NATO member states agreed to a historic increase in defense spending at a two-day summit in the Hague, making a commitment to raise expenditures from 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035. 
The summit is the first one to be attended by US President Donald Trump since he returned to office in January. The US leader has for years been pushing the bloc’s members to ramp up their defense spending to as much as 5% of national GDP, while complaining that America is carrying the main burden. US President Donald Trump touted the meeting as a “great victory,” praising allies for stepping up spending, which he has heavily pushed since his first term in the White House. 
While Ukraine’s conflict with Russia is still expected to be on the summit agenda, multiple media reports have claimed that attention given to it would be drastically reduced compared to previous years. Trump has repeatedly clashed with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in public while being reluctant to commit new US aid to Kiev. At the same time, he defended his decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and compared the operation to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, claiming it similarly “ended a war” by forcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.  
Trump signaled he would “probably” meet Zelensky – who was invited to an informal dinner – on the sidelines of the summit. A Washington Post report claimed that NATO officials are trying to keep the two leaders apart as much as possible in public while being mindful of “Trump’s occasionally volcanic disdain for the Ukrainian leader.” Trump also revealed plans for direct US-Iran talks next week, though he downplayed the need for a formal nuclear deal, asserting that Iran’s program had already been “destroyed,” despite reports suggesting only limited damage.
The Israel-Iran conflict is expected to loom large on the agenda following US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities and the announcement of a ceasefire between West Jerusalem and Tehran. While Trump has claimed that Iran’s nuclear sites have been “completely obliterated,” several US media outlets reported that Washington’s airstrikes caused only limited and reversible damage. In a shift from previous NATO summits, the final communiqué avoided direct mention of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, focusing instead on “long-term threats.” The document makes only one mention of Ukraine, stating that NATO members had reaffirmed their commitment to provide support to Kiev and continue direct contributions to the country’s military industry.
Ukrainian Leader Vladimir Zelensky attended a pre-summit dinner but was excluded from the main meeting, though he later held talks with Trump. A ceasefire was not on the agenda during a meeting with Zelensky, Trump told journalists.