


President Donald Trump shared on Tuesday morning a series of texts received from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte ahead of his arrival at this week’s summit, where he’s expected to clinch a long-sought defense spending agreement.
In the series of messages sent to “dear Donald,” Rutte congratulated Trump for the United States’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and subsequent ceasefire deal, claiming the operation has set the president up for a victory lap at this week’s NATO summit.
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“Congratulations and thank you for decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer,” Rutte wrote in the messages, which Trump shared Tuesday morning.

“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” he continued. “It was not easy but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!”
Trump will be attending this year’s NATO summit in the Netherlands on Tuesday and Wednesday, where his European counterparts are expected to sign an agreement requiring member nations to spend at least 5% on defense.
The first 3.5% of that spending is intended to pay for conventional military expenses such as personnel, artillery, and air defense. The other 1.5% is intended to be used for infrastructure and cybersecurity.
The White House has been demanding such a spending increase since the beginning of the administration, but progress has been delayed due to other members’ complaints that such a level of defense spending would be a massive financial burden.
All members now seem to be prepared to sign on during this week’s summit.
“Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.”
Rutte, a Dutch national, has been an enthusiastic advocate for the defense spending agreement, warning member states that geopolitics are no longer as stable as they were in the post-war era and require a strengthened posture.

“We are not living in happy land after the Berlin Wall came down. We are living in much more dangerous times and there are enemies, adversaries who might want to attack us,” Rutte said before the summit. “We have to make sure that we defend our beautiful way of life and systems and our values.”
TRUMP HEADS OVERSEAS FOR NATO TALKS IN WAKE OF IRAN STRIKE AND CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected the idea that his nation’s boost to defense spending is a response to U.S. demands, instead framing it as a measure to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
“We will decide to invest significantly more in our security,” Merz told the Bundestag before departing for the summit. “Not to do the United States a favor — but because Russia actively threatens the freedom of the entire Euro-Atlantic area.”