Trump confirms attendance at NATO summit in The Hague

Dutch Prime Minister Schoof confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit scheduled for June 24 and 25 in The Hague. "The Netherlands is deeply honoured to have the privilege of welcoming him and all our other NATO allies," Schoof said in a statement on X.

Schoof described their recent conversation as "affable," noting that they discussed several key issues ahead of the summit. "We looked ahead to next month’s NATO Summit in The Hague," Schoof wrote.

The discussion also included the critical need for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Schoof stressed, "In these times it is vital that NATO stands united. We’re stronger together."

Trade relations between the Netherlands and the United States were also a focal point. "We talked about our common trade interests. I stressed that both the Netherlands and the US benefit from an open trade relationship," Schoof added.

For some time, Trump’s participation in the summit was uncertain due to his frequent criticism of NATO members. The U.S. president has demanded that member countries increase defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product, a sharp rise from the current NATO guideline of 2 percent—many countries do not meet even that standard.

The summit will also face questions over the attendance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to NOS's anonymous NATO sources, Washington opposes Zelensky’s presence at the summit. Trump has openly stated that Ukraine should not become a NATO member.

Prime Minister Schoof stated that Zelensky is welcome to attend, while NATO Secretary-General Rutte, standing alongside him, noted that no final decision has been made.

Tensions between Trump and Zelensky remain high. Trump has primarily sought rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, much to the dismay of NATO allies and Kyiv. After public clashes with Zelensky, Trump encouraged direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. Those talks occurred last week but resulted only in a prisoner exchange, with no further breakthroughs.

On Monday, Trump spoke by phone with Putin. According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, Trump reported that Putin is not ready to end the war in Ukraine. Trump told European leaders that Putin believes he is winning the conflict. Both Zelensky and European leaders have long warned that Putin has no interest in ending the war.