As the dust settles at the World Forum in The Hague and the last global leaders board their private jets and head home, the Dutch papers have been wrapping up their coverage of the two-day Nato summit.

Alongside agreements to increase defence spending and reaffirm support for Ukraine and a key part of the Nato treaty emphasising unity, much of the coverage has focused on US president Donald Trump.

“Under American pressure, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was pushed into the background in The Hague, despite playing a leading role at previous Nato summits,” said the Volkskrant. “And because Trump continues to undermine democracy and the rule of law at home, Nato can no longer be considered a community of values defending freedom.”

Nevertheless, the summit could have gone a lot worse, the paper said. “With considerable skill, secretary general Mark Rutte managed to keep the alliance together. He did not hesitate to flatter Trump — at times embarrassingly so.”

One such moment was Rutte’s reference to ‘Daddy’, made after Trump described Iran and Israel as being like bickering children. The former Dutch prime minister later said he had been misunderstood, but the line still featured in Trump’s summit after-movie — with unfortunate sexual undertones.

Trump was feted like a king, including a stay with the Dutch king and queen, whom he described as “beautiful and spectacular people”. Máxima too was praised for the striking green jumpsuit she wore to Tuesday night’s official dinner, and picked out for her facial expressions during Wednesday’s breakfast photo shoot.

The dinner included a starter of seared tuna with a mousse of Amsterdam pickles — yes, the famous Kesbeke gherkins. Factory owner Oos Kesbeke, now a tv reality soap star, told the Telegraaf that a Dutch gherkin would be a great addition to Trump’s favourite hamburgers. “I’ll stuff Air Force One full of them,” he said.

Trump’s height also came in for a lot of comment, with the president’s claims to be 1.90 metres called into question as he posed next to king Willem-Alexander who is 1.89. “Don’t forget Trump is almost 80,” RTL reporter Sander Paulus said. “He’s already started shrinking.”

Another notable topic on the sidelines was a brief meeting between PVV leader Geert Wilders and Trump, with Wilders sharing a beaming photo of the two on social media.

“Nice guy. I didn’t know him,” Trump told reporters when asked about the encounter.

He suggested the meeting was arranged simply because he was expected to speak to “the opposition leader” in the host country. But the Dutch government information service and caretaker prime minister Dick Schoof both denied any involvement. It later emerged the encounter had been organised by the US embassy.

Partner event

While the men and women in suits got down to business, Máxima and Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten took the partners – including two men – on a day trip to Rotterdam.

The organisers, who spent over a year preparing the event, had hoped to keep locations and timings secret until the last moment for security reasons. That all went smoothly — until queen Máxima visited Erasmus University a week before the summit.

“See you next week,” said Carola Schouten as they parted. Máxima looked puzzled. “The Nato summit,” Schouten clarified. “Oh right, Het Depot!” Máxima replied, unaware a RoyalTV camera was filming behind her.

The clip ended up on YouTube, to the organisers’ dismay. But no one seemed to notice and the location stayed out of the headlines.

Red carpet

The NRC said that Rutte had “worked for months” to lay out the red carpet for Trump and that the operation was a success, although some questioned whether the Nato chief had gone too far.

Sure, Rutte admitted, comments are always a matter of taste — but it’s normal to praise someone for achieving something. He said the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites were a good thing. As for international law, he said, it’s always up for debate.

And he emphasised that Europe’s sharp rise in defence spending would not have happened without Trump’s pressure. The US, Rutte added, has been pushing for this since Eisenhower’s presidency — and now, under Trump, it’s finally happening.

All this flattery, the paper said, meant the dramatic commitments made by European leaders received little attention. The pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defence is Europe’s first full assumption of responsibility for conventional continental defence since the Cold War.

“But the hundreds of billions involved will limit future governments’ room for political manoeuvre,” the paper said, “and pose a risk for the leaders who smiled alongside Trump and king Willem-Alexander at the Tuesday evening photo session.”

Bromance

CNN, derided by Trump as scum during a press conference on Wednesday, concluded that the “Nato charm offensive” “shocked as much as it delivered”, detailing the bromance between Trump and Rutte.

“These people really love their countries,” the broadcaster quoted Trump as saying at his news conference. “It’s not a rip-off, and we’re here to help them protect their country.”

“I came here because it was something I’m supposed to be doing,” he added, “but I left here a little bit different.”