Trump's ambiguous remarks on NATO's Article 5 shake The Hague summit

U.S. President Donald Trump's comments regarding Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty have cast uncertainty over the NATO summit currently taking place in The Hague, raising concerns among European officials about the alliance’s unity and the credibility of its collective defence commitments.

European diplomats expressed alarm after Trump failed to offer a clear affirmation of his support for the principle of collective defence enshrined in the treaty signed in Washington in 1949, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Financial Times (FT).

Asked whether he still stands by Article 5, Trump responded vaguely: “Depends on your definition.”

One European official told FT, “The summit rests on what Trump decides. “We are all just sat here waiting for him to tell us if he will defend Europe.”

The NATO summit is taking place in The Hague from June 24 to 25, with alliance members gathering to discuss security challenges, defence spending, and transatlantic cooperation. However, Trump’s equivocal stance has raised fresh doubts about the reliability of U.S. commitments to its European allies, a concern that has persisted since his first term in office.

By Khagan Isayev