NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte dubbed Donald Trump ‘Daddy’ in a bizarre press conference in the Hague today.
World leaders have gathered in the Netherlands this week to discuss the alliance’s future, as well as plans to increase defence spending amid increased hostilities around the world with nations such as Iran and Russia.
Rutte opened the entire summit with the words: “Our joint commitment to Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all, sends a powerful message.”
Standing alongside President Trump, the secretary-general lauded him for his role in pushing the alliance towards a pledge to allocate 5% of GDP to defence spending, saying: “You made this possible.”
Earlier, Mr Rutte had commended the US president as “a man of strength” and “a man of peace”, crediting him with facilitating a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
President Trump also likened the conflict between Israel and Iran to “two kids in a school yard” having a scrap.
“They fight like hell. You can’t stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes. Then it’s easier to stop them,” he remarked.
Mr Rutte then quipped: “Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s Nato meeting in The Hague, President Trump sparked uncertainty by telling reporters on his flight from Washington that his commitment to Article 5 would depend “on your definition” when questioned about collective defence.
Article 5 is a cornerstone of Nato, obligating all members to defend one another if attacked.
Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed Nato’s dedication to collective defence during the summit.
As he arrived at The Hague, the Prime Minister confidently told broadcasters that all allies were “absolutely committed to the importance of Nato, particularly in a very volatile world”.
In what seemed like an intense discussion with President Trump before the North Atlantic Council meeting on Wednesday, Sir Keir appeared to be reinforcing this message.
The UK has pledged allegiance to the new Nato spending goal, promising to allocate 3.5% of GDP to “core defence” and an additional 1.5% on security and resilience efforts such as critical national infrastructure, border protection, and intelligence services.
However, the Government anticipates hitting this ambitious target by 2035, lagging behind the 2032 target that some allies lobbied for, and remains mum on plans to finance this substantial increase in expenditure.
In a significant ramp-up of its defence capabilities, the UK has also disclosed plans to acquire 12 state-of-the-art fighter jets with nuclear capacities.
Hailed as “the biggest strengthening” of the UK’s nuclear defences “in a generation”, these jets are set to contribute to a Nato mission designed to equip allied aircraft with US nuclear arms.
This development stems from the strategic defence review unveiled earlier in June, which advised commencing talks with the US and Nato to partake in the alliance’s nuclear operations.
Post-announcement, Defence Secretary John Healey was reportedly spotted in conversation with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth at the sidelines of the Nato summit.