Trump hails ‘horic’ NATO deal, promises to talk to Putin to end Ukraine war | World News

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was leaving the NATO summit with “a little bit different” view of the alliance after witnessing “the love and the passion that they showed for their countries.”
“I watched the heads of these countries get up, the love and the passion that they showed for their countries was unbelievable. I’ve never seen quite anything like it. They want to protect their country. They need the United States, and without the United States, it’s not going to be the same. And you can ask Mark, or you can ask any of the people that were there. It was really moving to see it.”
Speaking at a press conference following the plenary session in The Hague, Trump hailed a “horic” new 5 per cent defence spending target for NATO members. “It’s not a ripoff,” he said, assuring allies that “we are here to help them protect their country.”
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His comments came amid earlier controversy over his remarks on NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence clause, which some had interpreted as Trump questioning its sanctity. On Tuesday, Trump appeared to soften his tone, saying the alliance remained crucial.
Trump also said he had a “very nice” meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pledged to “speak to Vladimir Putin, see if we can get it ended,” referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“I think he’d like to see an end to this. I do. I think what I took from the meeting couldn’t have been nicer, actually, but I took from the meeting that he’d like to see it end. I think it’s a great time to end it. I’m going to speak to Vladimir Putin see if we can get it ended.”
When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin harboured territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine, Trump said it was “possible,” but urged Putin to “get out” of Ukraine. “It’s a mess for him,” he said.Story continues below this ad
“I will speak to Putin about it soon. Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war.”
Trump also said that he is considering sending additional Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine to help Kyiv defend itself against Russian attacks.
“They’re very hard to get,” he said. “But we are going to see if we can make some of them available.”
Trump also took aim at Spain, criticising it for resing the new NATO spending target. He warned that he would “make them pay twice” through trade tariffs and vowed to personally take charge of the negotiations.Story continues below this ad
Announcing that he will speak to the country himself, Trump said, “I’m going to do it myself. They’ll pay more money this way. You should tell them to go back and pay. You’re a reporter, tell them to go back, they ought to join all of those countries that are paying 5%.”