• NATO Chief Mark Rutte congratulated President Trump for his air strikes on Iran.
• The NATO summit aims to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP for member nations.
• Trump shared Rutte's supportive texts on social media ahead of the summit in The Hague.
• European leaders are cautious in publicly criticizing Trump's unilateral actions.
• Rutte indicated that Trump's leadership has reinvigorated NATO's defense commitments.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte congratulated President Donald Trump for his "decisive action in Iran," characterizing it as "truly extraordinary" and suggesting it enhances global safety. This commendation came just before Trump's departure to the NATO summit in The Hague, where he is expected to seek greater military spending commitments from member nations, pushing to raise the target from 2% to 5% of their GDP. Rutte praised Trump’s leadership, stating it marked a significant moment for both America and Europe, asserting that “Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should" according to The Hill, HuffPost, and Al Jazeera.

Trump shared Rutte's praises on his social media platform, depicting the positive reception from NATO members as evidence of his successful foreign policy maneuvers. Rutte emphasized the challenge of securing these commitments, stating, “It was not easy, but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent," reflecting the intensified advocacy for increased defense expenditures amid evolving geopolitical tensions, as noted by India Times and South China Morning Post.

While the praise may smooth over tensions following Trump's unilateral military action, observers note European leaders are circumspect about directly criticizing Trump’s methods, focusing instead on maintaining camaraderie during the NATO summit. Acknowledging this diplomatic tightrope, Rutte’s messages were characterized as a strategic effort to manage Trump effectively while underscoring the alliance's critical need for increased defense budgets, with analysts pointing out that Europe has become less influential in Middle Eastern political dynamics, as noted by HuffPost and Al Jazeera.

As Trump approaches his first NATO summit since 2019, leaders are hopeful to navigate his distinct and often unpredictable approach to diplomacy while securing their own agreements related to defense spending requirements. NATO aims to present a united front and signal to adversaries like Russia about its commitment to mutual defense, a point echoed by both Rutte's private messages and observations of summit dynamics from political analysts, according to The Hill, India Times, and South China Morning Post.