Trump says higher NATO defense spending may deter future Russian aggression

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit Wednesday and suggested that increased spending by the trans-Atlantic alliance could help prevent future Russian aggression against its neighbors. NATO members agreed to raise their spending targets by 2035 to 5% of gross domestic product annually on core defense requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending. That target had been 2% of GDP. "Europe stepping up to take more responsibility for security will help prevent future disasters like the horrible situation with Russia and Ukraine," Trump said at the summit-ending news conference shortly after seeing Zelenskyy. "And hopefully we're going to get that solved." Trump also reiterated his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine that began with Moscow's invasion in February 2022. "He'd like to get out of this thing. It's a mess for him," Trump said. "He called the other day, and he said, 'Can I help you with Iran?' I said, 'No, you can help me with Russia.'" Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy was their first face-to-face session since April when they met at St. Peter's Basilica during Pope Francis' funeral. Trump also had a major confrontation with Zelenskyy earlier this year at the White House. Zelenskyy, in a social media post, said The Hague talks were substantive and he thanked Trump for the U.S. assistance. "We discussed how to achieve a ceasefire and a real peace. We spoke about how to protect our people. We appreciate the attention and the readiness to help bring peace closer," Zelenskyy added. Trump left open the possibility of sending Kyiv more U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile systems. Asked by a Ukrainian reporter, who said that her husband was a Ukrainian soldier, Trump acknowledged that sending more Patriots would help the Ukrainian cause. "They do want to have the antimissile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots," Trump said. "And we're going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We're supplying them to Israel, and, they're very effective, 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing." Over the course of the war, the U.S. has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia. Trump laid into the U.S. media throughout his news conference but showed unusual warmth toward the Ukrainian reporter. "That's a very good question," Trump said about the query about Patriots. "And I wish you a lot of luck. I mean, I can see it's very upsetting to you. So say hello to your husband." Ukraine has been front and center at recent NATO summits. But as the alliance's latest annual meeting of leaders opened in the Netherlands, Zelenskyy was not in the room. The Trump administration has blocked Ukraine's bid to join NATO. The conflict with Russia has laid waste to Ukrainian towns and killed thousands of civilians. Just last week, Russia launched one of the biggest drone attacks of the war. During Trump's 2024 campaign for the White House, the Republican pledged a quick end to the war. He saw it as a costly boondoggle that, he claimed, would not have happened had he won reelection in 2020. Since taking office in January, he has struggled to find a resolution to the conflict and has shown frustration with both Putin and Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy spent Tuesday in The Hague shuttling from meeting to meeting. He got a pledge from summit host the Netherlands for military aid, including new drones and radars to help knock out Russian drones. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United Kingdom will provide 350 air defense missiles to Ukraine, funded by 70 million pounds ($95 million) raised from the interest on seized Russian assets.