NATO: Trump reactivates geostrategy with Iran and Turkey, historic defence agreement and silent containment of China and Russia
- Trump celebrates ‘American victory’ in attacks on Iran
- NATO commits to 5% military spending
- Softer language on Putin and no mention of China
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks in a separate room on the current situation in the conflict between Iran and Israel, during which the Turkish leader expressed to the US president his hopes for a permanent ceasefire that would ensure that Iran and Israel do not violate the agreement, following the meeting of NATO leaders at the summit in The Hague.
According to the official website of the Turkish Presidency, both leaders welcomed the efforts to end the ‘Iranian regime of terror’. However, hours earlier, the Turkish president had stated at the press conference in The Hague that ‘Israel must cease its state terrorism against Iran’ and urged France, Germany and the United Kingdom to support a cessation of activities that contribute to increased regional tensions.
At the same time, Erdogan pointed out that Turkey shares more than 560 kilometres of border with Iran. Finally, the Turkish leader stressed the importance of dialogue and that Europe and the West must not lose sight of the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip and must reach a peaceful solution in Israel and Ukraine.
On the commercial front, Donald Trump took the opportunity to sign preliminary trade agreements with Turkey that will serve to improve relations between the two powers with the aim of reaching 100 billion dollars in trade, especially in the military industry, as indicated in the official statement from the Turkish Presidency.
Trump celebrates ‘American victory’ in attacks on Iran
Before the meeting, Donald Trump said alongside his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and his Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, that the attacks on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities were a ‘victory for all’ and had completely ended Iran's nuclear programme. ‘I tell you, the last thing they want right now is to enrich. They want to recover,’ Trump said.
The US president credited himself and his entourage with ending the war between Iran and Israel, a conflict he described as ‘the 12-day war.’ At the same appearance, Donald Trump said that Iran had been a worthy opponent and that the advance warning of missile launches at the US military base in Qatar ‘saved hundreds of American lives.’
Finally, Trump announced that he hopes this attack will mark a change of course for the Iranian government, with which he wants to negotiate and maintain relations in the near future. ‘We would end up having some kind of relationship with Iran,’ Trump said.
These hopes were echoed by the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who said that talks between Washington and Tehran were ‘promising’ but that the ultimate goal was to achieve lasting peace in the region.
The United States is fully committed to ending the conflict, both militarily and politically. To this end, Trump has indicated that negotiations on ending the nuclear programme and establishing a long-term ceasefire will continue.
However, Pentagon sources said that the US strikes did not succeed in ending Iran's nuclear programme. In response to the reports, White House press secretary Karline Leavitt confirmed the authenticity of the assessment but said it was ‘completely inaccurate and classified as top secret, yet it was leaked.’ Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the historic victory over Iran, which ‘will last for generations.’
NATO commits to 5% military spending
The NATO organisation has committed to increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP, as demanded by Donald Trump. The conclusion of the summit in The Hague sets a new standard for the 32 countries that make up the alliance. This was the main achievement of the meeting, where Secretary General Mark Rutte worked hard to prevent the summit from ending in failure or the Atlantic alliance from suffering irreparable damage.
‘There is disagreement in that they [Spain] believe they can achieve these capability goals with 2.1%, and NATO says it has to be 3.5% for pure defence spending alone. All allies will report on how they are achieving the commitment. So we'll see, and in 2029, in any case, we'll review all this,’ Mark Rutte said regarding the statements by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Inside the Atlantic Council chamber, where leaders gathered to approve the statement, some allies emphasised the importance of reaching 5%, while others supported the flexibility mentioned in the text. The US president, for his part, commented at the meeting: ‘Most allies have committed to 5%, but not all. I don't know why.’ In addition, Trump, according to sources, praised the fact that all allies will reach 2% this year.
Softer language on Putin and no mention of China
The Allies reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to support Ukraine, whose efforts to maintain security also benefit our own. With that goal in mind, the Allies confirmed that they will include direct contributions to Ukraine's defence, as well as to its defence sector, in their military spending calculations.
‘Ukraine has a clear and irreversible path to NATO,’ the secretary general told Zelensky during a joint press conference before the meeting. ‘It is crucial that this direction is maintained,’ replied Zelensky, who has always maintained that Ukraine's true security comes from its membership in NATO.
Likewise, the language used in relation to Russia was also softer, as previous documents described it as the ‘greatest and most direct threat to the allies’; on this occasion, a call was made for cooperation among partners ‘in the face of serious threats and challenges to security, especially the long-term threat that Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security and the continuing threat of terrorism.’
Furthermore, there was no mention of China, which last year was considered one of the challenges for the allies. One of the arguments presented to the US administration was Europe's suggestion that it could ignore its own security, as China's power only directly affects US interests in the Indo-Pacific region.