Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump meets Zelensky as row breaks out over Nato’s stance on Putin

European leaders in Nato have agreed to a historic enhance in defence spending to five per cent of GDP – and praised Donald Trump for driving the uplift.

Secretary basic Mark Rutte fawned over the US president for intervening within the conflict between Iran and Israel, likening him to a “daddy” figure overseeing two warring sides and calling the US president “a person of power” for piling stress on allies to place extra money into safety in opposition to a backdrop of worsening world tensions and the conflict in Ukraine.

The brand new spending pledge – 3.5 per cent of GDP on core defence by 2035, and 1.5 per cent on safety and resilience measures – was described by Mr Trump as a “monumental win” for the US, Europe, and “Western civilisation”.

Millie Cooke, our political correspondent in The Hague for the Nato summit, experiences:

US president Donald Trump has left open the potential of sending Kyiv extra US-made Patriot air defence missile programs as he answered a query from a Ukrainian journalist who mentioned that her husband was a frontline soldier in Ukraine.

Mr Trump acknowledged that sending extra Patriots would assist the Ukrainian trigger.

“They do wish to have the antimissile missiles, OK, as they name them, the Patriots,” Mr Trump mentioned.

“And we will see if we will make some out there. We’d like them, too. We’re supplying them to Israel, and so they’re very efficient, 100 per cent efficient. Laborious to consider how efficient. They do need that greater than another factor,” the US president mentioned.

Mr Trump laid into the US media all through his information convention however confirmed uncommon heat towards the Ukrainian reporter.

“That is an excellent query,” Mr Trump mentioned concerning the question about Patriots. “And I want you a whole lot of luck. I imply, I can see it’s totally upsetting to you. So say whats up to your husband,” he mentioned.

US president Donald Trump has not rejected the probabilities of Russian president Vladimir Putin invading different international locations past Ukraine.

Mr Trump was requested whether or not he thought of Mr Putin an enemy and if he believed that the Russian president has territorial ambitions past Ukraine.

Answering the query at a press convention on the Nato summit within the Hague yesterday, Mr Trump mentioned “It’s doable”.

“I contemplate him an individual who I feel is misguided,” Mr Trump mentioned.

Mr Trump reiterated his perception that Mr Putin needs to finish the conflict in Ukraine that started with Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.

“He’d prefer to get out of this factor. It is a mess for him,” Mr Trump mentioned. “He referred to as the opposite day, and he mentioned, ‘Can I provide help to with Iran?’ I mentioned, ‘No, you possibly can assist me with Russia.”‘

Nato backs large defence spending hike: At a summit in The Hague, Nato leaders agreed to considerably increase defence spending – a key demand from US president Donald Trump – and reaffirmed the alliance’s core dedication to collective defence below Article 5.

Trump claims ‘nice victory’: Trump welcomed the brand new 5 per cent of GDP spending goal, saying he hoped it could profit the US defence business. He confirmed his backing for Nato’s mutual defence pledge, saying: “If I didn’t stand with it, I wouldn’t be right here.”

Macron pushes again on commerce threats: French president Emmanuel Macron raised issues over Trump’s threatened tariffs, saying it was contradictory to extend navy spending whereas risking a commerce conflict. “We won’t say we’re going to spend extra after which launch a commerce conflict,” he mentioned.

Rutte praises Trump’s stress: Nato secretary basic Mark Rutte – internet hosting the summit in The Hague – mentioned the alliance would change into “stronger, fairer and extra deadly”, crediting Trump for pushing allies to commit extra.

New spending formulation unveiled: The brand new 5 per cent goal consists of 3.5 per cent for core defence and 1.5 per cent for broader safety. Attaining this will likely be troublesome for a lot of European economies.

Zelensky sidelined: Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky attended a pre-summit dinner however was not a part of the primary Wednesday assembly. He met with Trump individually.

Kremlin criticises Nato: Russia accused the alliance of “rampant militarisation” and demonising Moscow to justify the defence finances surge.

Donald Trump mentioned he’s contemplating sending extra Patriot missile programs to Ukraine, as he renewed calls on Russian chief Vladimir Putin to finish the conflict.

Mr Trump, who has surrounded himself with isolationist-minded advisers who’ve publicly opposed continued help for Kyiv, responded, “We’ll see what occurs” when requested whether or not the US would contribute something on high of the $8bn pledged by Nato allies as a part of the 32-member bloc’s continued help for Ukraine’s conflict effort.