This year’s NATO Summit in The Hague comes with certain peculiarities. The main issue — the increase of member states’ defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 — has already been decided, with Spain as the sole exception, having requested and secured flexibility.

There is also no precedent for a summit lasting just three hours, though Secretary-General Mark Rutte has arranged a series of side events starting Monday. The reason for the drastically reduced duration is clear: to avoid boring its star player, U.S. President Donald Trump, who set foot on European soil for the first time during his second term.

Until now, Mr. Trump had limited himself to sending his vice president, J.D. Vance, who effectively “torpedoed” the Munich Security Conference last February, causing unrest with his signals toward the Alternative for Germany party in the context of the German federal elections. This time, Trump comes as a… peacemaker, speaking kindly of his “European friends” and pleased that NATO members are agreeing to his long-standing request to boost their contributions to collective defense — a target that more than doubles the existing 2% benchmark.

The American president, the undisputed star of the day, arrived in the Netherlands last night just after 20:30, heading straight from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to Huis ten Bosch Palace. Without his wife, Mr. Trump is the only leader hosted by the royal family — King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.

Meetings and Article 5
There is no doubt Trump will make a “show of strength” at the Summit, which will begin with leaders’ statements shortly after 10:00 Greek time and conclude by 15:00. He is highly sought after for meetings and is expected to see some leaders face-to-face, including his old acquaintance Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with whom he was side-by-side at last night’s dinner photo. He is also expected to meet Volodymyr Zelensky, who is not participating in the official part of the Summit but will remain in The Hague for the one-on-one meeting he requested and secured with Trump. Some European leaders have already met with Trump, and interestingly, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — who shares a close political and personal relationship with him — sat next to him at the dinner.

Arriving at the Summit, despite the… aura of peace in the Middle East, Trump sparked particular discussion regarding his reference to NATO’s Article 5 — the collective defense clause in case of an attack on a member state. Asked if the U.S. remains committed to Article 5, Trump responded enigmatically: “It depends on the definition. There are several definitions of Article 5. But I am committed to being their friend and I am committed to saving lives. I am committed to life and security,” he told reporters accompanying him, clarifying that he would provide a precise definition at the Summit rather than at the back of a plane.

The Greek position
In this context, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, who also arrived in The Hague last night, approaches the issue of increased defense spending comfortably. Mitsotakis has long acknowledged the validity of Trump’s point — raised during his first term — though the Ukraine war has practically changed the facts on the ground.

In his intervention today at the Summit, Mitsotakis is expected to stress Greece’s stability and reliability as an ally, having met NATO’s 2% GDP defense spending pledge even during the difficult years of the economic crisis, significantly contributing to the Alliance’s capabilities in a critical region for regional and international security. Mitsotakis will refer to recent developments in the Middle East and emphasize that Greece spends 3% of its GDP on defense as it faces multiple security challenges — making it part of NATO’s core group exceeding the current 2% commitment and ranking 5th among NATO members in defense spending as a share of GDP. The Prime Minister will also mention the country’s 12-year, €25 billion armament program.

Mitsotakis is expected to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines, and possibly other leaders, though no official meeting is planned with Turkish President Erdoğan.