[By Observer Net, Wang Yi] In order to ensure that US President Trump would fly to The Hague, Netherlands on June 24-25 to attend the NATO summit and to ensure the smooth running of the summit, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg not only asked member states in advance to meet the requirement for Trump to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), but also sent a private message to flatter Trump.

Trump shared this private message on his self-created social platform "Truth Social". According to a screenshot, Stoltenberg praised him, saying, "Congratulations on your decisive action in Iran, which is extraordinary, something that others would not dare to do."

"You are heading towards another great victory," Stoltenberg specifically mentioned, stating that NATO had made its member states agree to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, which is "something no US president has been able to achieve in decades," adding, "Europe will pay in a BIG way, which is what they should do, and it will be your victory."

Trump's published private message from Stoltenberg Social media

A NATO official confirmed the authenticity of this private message to the UK's Financial Times.

The UK's Guardian pointed out that the tone of Stoltenberg's private message highlights how NATO and other Western leaders, despite knowing that Trump's commitment to NATO is unpredictable, desperately want the summit to go smoothly and must take all measures to ensure that this free-spirited US president stands with them. NATO officials hope that after the US air strikes on Iran, he will continue to express support for NATO during the closed-door meetings and subsequent press conferences.

However, NATO's commitments and Stoltenberg's flattering messages seem not to have completely "calmed" Trump. While aboard Air Force One crossing the Atlantic, Trump was asked if the US would still abide by the collective defense clause of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, and he vaguely replied, "It depends on your definition, there are many definitions of Article 5, you know, right? But I promise to be their friend."

When asked to explain this vague answer, Trump said that he was "committed to saving lives and maintaining security," but refused to elaborate during the flight.

The Guardian stated that as early as the 2018 summit, Trump hinted that the US might withdraw from NATO. This year's summit was tailored for him - smaller in scale and more compact in pace, aiming to maintain his good mood and secure his supportive statements about NATO. Previously, foreign media reported that to prevent Trump from feeling "bored," the three-day NATO summit was shortened to two and a half hours.

Bloomberg News reported on June 25 that two senior officials revealed that European leaders had discussed in advance to retain Trump and avoid a more severe downturn in transatlantic relations, with Stoltenberg initiating a flattery campaign.

"Let me pay tribute to President Trump, who has long called for increased NATO defense spending," Stoltenberg said at a dinner on the 24th, "NATO has added an additional $1 trillion in defense spending over the past decade. Mr. President - dear Donald - this is all due to your push for us."

An Italian official said that Italian Prime Minister Meloni, who is close to Trump, sat next to him at the dinner on the 24th and had a long discussion on the latest developments in the Middle East.

On June 24 local time, during the 2025 NATO summit, Trump (bottom left) talks with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg (center). Visual China

Over the past few months, Stoltenberg has maintained close contact with Trump and other NATO leaders. On one hand, Stoltenberg has repeatedly flown to the US to communicate with Trump, including a meeting at Mar-a-Lago after Trump's election victory last November; on the other hand, he has traveled to various NATO member countries, trying to persuade them to agree to significantly increase defense spending, aiming to raise military budgets to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, plus an additional 1.5% for cybersecurity, intelligence, and infrastructure-related expenses, totaling the 5% that Trump expects.

Before Trump arrived, Stoltenberg has been assuring allies that as long as they significantly increase defense spending, Trump would not withdraw the US assurance. He said on the 24th, "The US President is fully committed to staying in NATO... but this also comes with a clear expectation that we must address this 'big thorn' of not spending enough."

Before the summit, Stoltenberg pushed member states to make commitments to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. According to the schedule, after the dinner on June 24, NATO will hold a shortened two-and-a-half-hour summit on the 25th, where leaders of member states will jointly sign a brief joint statement formally confirming the "commitment to raise defense spending to 5%."

But Spain openly opposed it. The prime minister Sanchez refused to give this commitment, insisting that 2.1% of defense spending was sufficient to fulfill the country's obligations to NATO. He also successfully secured an exemption clause, allowing lower spending to meet NATO requirements in exchange for special exemptions.

The Financial Times said that other member states also requested Stoltenberg to grant them the same "flexibility," increasing the risk of the summit ending in arguments, and also increasing the possibility of Trump being angry at American allies for taking advantage of the US's generosity.

Trump said, "This has always been a problem with Spain, they don't agree, honestly, it's very unfair for other countries." Later, he posted a chart on "Truth Social" with the title "Spain threatens to disrupt the summit."

A Spanish official told Bloomberg that Sanchez knew he might be attacked by Trump on the 25th, and his team was prepared to face a difficult situation for several hours, but they hoped things wouldn't get that bad.

American media analyzed on the 23rd that although this NATO summit could be seen as "tailored for Trump," by setting higher military spending targets, NATO tried to show unity among member states and demonstrate to Trump that "Europe is fulfilling its defense responsibilities." However, there remain unresolved differences within NATO on many issues, making the summit's prospects uncertain.

Bloomberg noted that apart from discussions on spending and collective defense, major European military powers are still trying to get Trump to focus on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will attend the summit as a special guest and is scheduled to meet with Trump on the 25th. French President Macron, German Chancellor Merkel, and other European leaders have repeatedly assured Zelenskyy that Europe will continue to support Ukraine and work to gain American support.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7519745544261042738/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author and is not necessarily the view of the website. Please use the [Up/Down] buttons below to express your attitude.