While Trump has accused European leaders of denying U.S. forces access to allied bases for takeoffs and refueling during the war, Rutte noted that about 5,000 sorties supporting Operation Epic Fury launched from European airfields. And last Friday, France and Britain committed to a joint military mission with Oman<\/a> to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 \u201can extremely important development,\u201d Rutte said.<\/p>\n At last year\u2019s summit, held in The Hague, all NATO member states \u2014 with the exception of Spain<\/a> \u2014 agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defense by 2035, marking a significant increase in historic spending goals for modern Europe. The pledge is divided into two categories, with 3.5% of spending allocated to core military requirements, and the rest committed to a broad set of security-related investments.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s tough love on the alliance \u201cis, I think, bringing NATO closer together,\u201d the secretary general told reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could argue that he is the first president of the U.S. since Eisenhower who was able to come to this situation where the Europeans and the Canadians will spend the same as the Americans\u201d on security, Rutte said. \u201cThis equalization was a wish for 50, 60 years, and now it\u2019s happening \u2014 I think in large part due to his leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks to reporters Monday ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.<\/p>\n (Hussein Malla \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n In a video message posted on social media Monday, Trump\u2019s ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said the summit this week would serve as a \u201creport card\u201d to determine whether countries were beginning to fulfill their commitments from last year.<\/p>\n He offered a note of optimism and suggested the president\u2019s goal is to enhance, rather than undermine, the alliance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States will be here, but we also need our allies to be here. We cannot do it alone, and the American taxpayer should no longer bear the burden,\u201d Whitaker said.<\/p>\n A White House schedule for Trump\u2019s trip lists bilateral meetings with Rutte and the leaders of Turkey, Syria and Ukraine, in between alliance-wide meals and conferences.<\/p>\n Ukraine will remain at the top of the agenda, Trump told reporters Monday, expressing hope that the war could soon come to an end after four brutal years of fighting.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has caused the greatest loss of life in Europe since World War II, resulting in more than 1 million casualties, including an estimated 600,000 dead. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022, following his covert invasions of Ukraine\u2019s Crimean peninsula and eastern regions in 2014, Russian forces have captured roughly 12% of Ukraine\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n The war has settled into a deadly stalemate since a 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive failed to break Russian defensive lines. While Russian forces have occasionally advanced, they have only managed to hold marginal gains along the front, at tremendous cost.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, however, expanded Ukrainian drone and missile capabilities have shifted the dynamic, striking military production sites deep inside Russia and targets near Moscow, bringing the war more directly into the Russian public consciousness and raising questions in the Russian capital whether the war effort is sustainable.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s boldness has impressed the Trump administration, Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, told the Financial Times<\/a> this week. <\/p>\n \u201cI think he does feel pressure,\u201d Trump said of Putin, addressing reporters in the Oval Office before departing for Turkey on Monday.<\/p>\n The president referred to an ongoing U.S. effort to end the war, a goal that has remained elusive for Trump since returning to office.<\/p>\n![\"NATO](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783363930_670_.jpeg\")
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