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“Trump may boycott Nato summit over defence spending”

May 2, 2025
The World Forum in The Hague. Photo: Depositphotos.com

US president Donald Trump is threatening not to attend June’s Nato summit in The Hague unless member states increase their defence spending, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel.

Der Spiegel bases its report on European diplomatic sources.

Germany, in particular, is under pressure to raise its contribution, the magazine said, adding that US defence chief Pete Hegseth discussed the issue last week with Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius.

Organisers of the summit told Der Spiegel they had not received any formal communication from Trump. “We assume he is coming and all the preparations are focused on [his visit] going ahead,” a spokesman said.

Trump has suggested that Nato members should spend 5% of gross domestic product on defence, rather than the current target of 2%.

The Netherlands recently agreed to raise defence spending in stages by €1.1 billion, which will bring the total to just over 2% of GDP. The right-wing liberal VVD wants the figure to increase to 3.5%.

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Some 45 world leaders, 90 ministers and 8,000 delegates are expected to attend the summit at the World Forum on June 24 and 25. Officials have described it as the “biggest logistical operation” in the country since World War II.

The major security operation will include closing off parts of The Hague, and people in the central urban belt are being urged to work from home on the summit days. The budget for the event has almost doubled to €183 million.

The AD said the summit would go ahead, whether Trump attends or not.

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Defence Foreign affairs Nato The Hague
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