Why the NATO summit exceeded all expectations and gave Ukraine hope for membership
The main outcome of this summit was a declaration consisting of just five points, but centered around the decision on a sharp increase in defence spending by European countries and Canada. All of this was in line with expectations voiced in the media and likely came as a surprise to no one.
However, the fact that this decision turned out to be favourable to Ukraine did surprise even some major global media outlets.
Read more about how this became possible despite the public opposition of Trump and Orbán in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor: NATO summit in Ukraine’s favour: how Zelenskyy won Trump over and made Orbán back down.
The task of "buttering Trump up" was a central one for the summit hosts. They didn’t even try to hide it.
An overnight stay at the royal palace. Personal attention and care from the Dutch royal family. A programme tailored to the US president’s every whim. Flattery so excessive it took one’s breath away, bordering on self-humiliation in the view of some Western media outlets. All of this was served up in The Hague.
And all these efforts paid off.
Trump enjoyed the summit – a fact that was especially evident at the final press conference.
The meeting between the American leader and his Ukrainian counterpart went smoothly, too. In a nod to Trump’s sartorial preferences, Volodymyr Zelenskyy swapped his usual khaki sweater for a black outfit that resembled a suit.
But the key element of Ukraine’s success had been secured before the summit even began.
As anticipated, this year’s summit declaration is different to any from past decades. NATO has broken from its tradition of adopting lengthy documents that express a collective stance on dozens of global issues, choosing instead to focus on a single topic – the issue of defence spending by NATO member states.
This is an internal matter that concerns only current members of the Alliance, not its partner states.
The reason is the Russian threat – the danger of a Russian attack on NATO unless the Alliance demonstrates its readiness to repel such aggression.
This gave rise to the wording that made it into the final version: all NATO members, including the US, agreed that Russia poses a "long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security".
The second non-NATO country mentioned is Ukraine.
Back in May, when the Allies were just beginning their discussions on the summit’s final declaration, the US were insistent that Ukraine should not be mentioned, arguing that the summit did not directly concern it. However, in the course of just over a month, the American position evolved significantly. As a result, the final declaration includes a commitment from NATO countries to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces as part of their defence spending – and the US has agreed to this as well.
More importantly: NATO has received the green light to give Ukraine hope for membership.
Mark Rutte’s statements about Ukraine moving towards NATO membership have become more frequent and concrete. He has begun talking about it not just in response to questions, but on his own initiative.
The lack of any comment or objection from Trump and his team confirms that the US position is indeed shifting.
This explains why other Alliance members did not veto the issue of Ukraine either.
This applies first and foremost to Hungary.
The Orbán government is the main public opponent of Ukraine joining both the European Union and NATO.
It has long been well known that Hungary’s foreign policy aligns with the views of the United States, especially its current leadership.