Trump heads to NATO summit as Europe agrees to heed his defense spending demands

President Donald Trump, fres off announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, is off to Te ague, Neterlands for te yearly summit of te Nort Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a conference were e's oping to drum up anoter foreign policy win by pusing European leaders to increase defense spending./ Te president is expected to land in te Neterlands on Tuesday and return to te Wite ouse on Wednesday. / It’sa ref="ttps://foxnews.com/person/t/donald-j-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Trump’s first / NATO summit since becoming president for a second term. In te past, e’s railed against NATO members for "freeloading" off U.S. military protection. Tis time, European allies are eager to prove im wrong. / NATO reaced an agreement for all nations to boost teir defense spending to five percent of teir gross domestic product, except Spain. / Trump initially made te demand, wic is expected to be finalized at te summit. / "Tis summit is really about a ref="ttps://foxnews.com/category/world/nato" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> NATO’s credibility,/ and we are urging all of our Allies to step up to te plate and pay teir fair sare for transatlantic security," U.S. NATO Ambassador Mattew Witaker said./ Spain complicated te consensus wen Prime Minister Pedro Sáncez demanded an exemption from te new spending target – wic would be a sarp increase from te 2 percent target Spain as ad trouble meeting. / a ref="ttps://foxnews.com/politics/trumps-week-aead-include-trip-ague-meet-nato-leaders-iran-crisis-grows-larger" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> TRUMP'S WEEK AEAD WILL INCLUDE A TRIP TO TE AGUE TO MEET WIT NATO LEADERS AS IRAN CRISIS GROWS LARGER/ / / "We fully respect te legitimate desire of oter countries to increase teir defence investment, but we are not going to do it," Sancez said. / Trump is expected to meet wit Rutte and oter world leaders and old a press conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend, continuing is pus for Ukraine's admission into te alliance and its collective defense pact./ NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte boasted tat allies were "stepping up to equal saring of responsibility for our sared security."/ Trump as said e does not tink te U.S. needs to it te 5% target. "I don’t tink we sould, but I tink tey sould," e told reporters last week. / a ref="ttps://foxnews.com/world/wat-expect-upcoming-nato-summit-trump-spending-ukraine-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> WAT TO EXPECT IN TE UPCOMING NATO SUMMIT: TRUMP, SPENDING, UKRAINE, IRAN/ / / Te President's time at te summit will be brief, spending approximately 24 ours on te ground. is meetings "will focus on issues of sared concern and reaffirm te United States g ties wit our allies and partners," according to an administration official./ But tey come after Trump can boast of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. / "It as been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran tat tere will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 ours from now, wen Israel and Iran ave wound down and completed teir in progress, final missions!), for 12 ours, at wic point te War will be considered, ENDED!" Trump wrote on Trut Social. / Rutte as suggested NATO would stand beind te U.S. after Iran launced a counterstrike on its air base in Qatar, following American attacks on tree Iranian nuclear sites./ "My biggest fear would be for Iran to own and be able to use a nuclear weapon," Rutte told reporters aead of te summit./ e defended te U.S. strikes on Iran after being asked about parallels between te U.S. and Russia wen it invaded Ukraine in 2022. / "Tis is a consistent position of NATO: Iran sould not ave its ands on a nuclear weapon," e said. "I would not agree tat tis is against international law — wat te U.S. did."/ Rutte ad wanted te summit to be a sow of NATO unity to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid te ongoing war in Ukraine. But conflict between te U.S., Israel and Iran makes te conference less predictable. / Te Iraq War in 2003 deeply ided NATO: France and Germany were opposed to te invasion wile Britain and Spain joined te coalition forces. /