The 2025 The Hague summit was a meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the thirty-two members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), their partner countries, and the European Union (EU). It was held in The Hague, Netherlands, on 24–25 June 2025.
As the first NATO summit ever hosted by the Netherlands, it marked the inaugural summit for new NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, a former prime minister of the Netherlands and a native of The Hague. The summit focused on member states' pledge to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP.
While Australia and South Korea were also invited, only the prime minister of New Zealand and Japan's senior-level delegation represented non-Atlantic partner countries. On the sides of the summit, bilateral meetings, including between Donald Trump, US president, and, separately, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, were held.
Background
It was decided at the 2023 Vilnius NATO summit that the Netherlands would host the 2025 summit. This marked the first instance that a NATO summit took place in the country. The exact date and location, the World Forum in The Hague, were announced by outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in May 2024. The last major diplomatic conference held in The Hague's same venue was the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit, and the city was chosen over Rotterdam, Apeldoorn, and Maastricht.
Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, reviewed the preparedness of the summit's venue during his visit there on 23 June. During the summit it became clear the Dutch royal family played a key role in personal diplomacy aimed at ensuring Donald Trump remained engaged with the alliance.
In the lead-up to the summit, several countries reported on anticipated topics of discussion. According to Al Jazeera, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Nordic countries hoped to formulate a multi-year plan to address potential funding gaps in the event of a U.S. withdrawal from NATO. Under this plan, European nations would contribute more funding to the organization because the US contributes 66% of the NATO defense budget as of 2025. Additionally, NATO proposed a plan to require Europe and Canada to "boost its weapons and equipment stockpiles by 30 percent, which would be done amid current uncertainty regarding the US ongoing role in NATO contribution". This multi-year plan was ultimately not discussed or addressed during the summit.
The United States had advocated for each member to contribute at least 5% of its GDP to defense budgets since the election of Donald Trump in 2024. In response, Poland announced a defense spending increase to 4.7% of GDP ahead of the summit. Similarly, prior to the summit as of 13 June 2025, the Dutch caretaker cabinet committed to increasing its defense budget to 3.5% of GDP, with an additional 1.5% allocated to related defense-beneficial areas to meet the 5% target.
Defense ministers from three Baltic countries also emphasized the need for increased NATO contributions. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated, "The Baltic countries have already raised their spending, and now we [NATO] must work together to make this understanding clearer among all allies."
Agenda
The summit's primary agenda centered on increasing defense expenditures and strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense posture. A major goal was the approval of a new defense investment framework establishing a target for member states to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product to defense by 2035. Under the plan, 3.5% is designated for core military capabilities, while 1.5% is directed toward broader defense-related sectors, including infrastructure and cyber defense. The initiative represents a substantial rise from the 2% GDP benchmark adopted in 2014 and reflects growing security concerns stemming from Russia's continued military actions in Ukraine, as well as broader threats such as terrorism and hybrid warfare.
The program included a meeting of the NATO–Ukraine Council to coordinate future support efforts. However, the agenda did not include commitments regarding Ukraine's potential NATO membership, a decision aimed at preserving alliance cohesion amid differing views, particularly in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's ambivalent stance on the issue.
A Defense Industry Forum on June 24 brought together political leaders, military officials, and industry executives from NATO countries and Indo-Pacific partners (e.g., Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand). The agenda included advancing multinational capability cooperation to boost defense production, streamline procurement, and enhance interoperability among allies.
A key agenda item concerned reaffirming United States commitment to NATO, particularly in light of President Donald Trump's earlier expressions of skepticism regarding the alliance. Secretary General Mark Rutte placed emphasis on direct consultations with Trump in order to secure U.S. backing for the proposed 5% GDP defense spending target. The program for the June 25 session was deliberately condensed to approximately two and a half hours, enabling the alliance to concentrate on major decisions while reducing the likelihood of procedural or political disruptions.
The 2025 Hague NATO Summit's agenda was a strategic blend of immediate priorities (Ukraine support, U.S. engagement) and long-term goals (higher defense spending, industrial cooperation), positioning NATO to address both current and emerging security challenges.
The agenda of the summit was chronologically as follows;
Monday 23 June
- NATO Secretary General meets with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- Pre-Summit press conference by the Secretary General
Tuesday 24 June
- Secretary General's address at the NATO Public Forum
- NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Albania
- Signing ceremony at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum
- Short remarks by the Secretary General and the President of Ukraine
- Plenary session of the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum
- Meeting between the Secretary General, the European Union and Ukraine
- Short remarks by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Short remarks by the Secretary General and the Foreign Minister of Japan
- Arrivals of Heads of State and Government and their spouses at the Palace Huis ten Bosch
- See also; Personal diplomacy towards Donald Trump
- North Atlantic Council Working Dinner in Defence Ministers' session
- NATO-Ukraine Council Working Dinner in Foreign Ministers' session
Wednesday 25 June
- NATO Secretary General's Doorstep - opening remarks
- Short remarks by the Secretary General and the President of the United States of America
- Welcome Ceremony and Official Photo
- Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government; issuing the closing declaration ('The Hague Summit Declaration').
- Secretary General's Press Conference
- Meeting between the Secretary General and Indo-Pacific Partners - New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea; issuing the NATO-Indo-Pacific statement
- Meeting between the Secretary General, the President of Ukraine and leaders of E5 countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland and United Kingdom)
Summit
The 2025 NATO summit in The Hague concluded successfully and primarily addressed increasing NATO members' annual defense spending to a new 5% spending target. In his first speech as NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte urged the alliance to "shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge our defense production and defense spending." The new 5% spending target was split into two parts: 3.5% must be allocated to direct military expenses such as salaries, weapons, and ammunition, while the remaining 1.5% can be spent on defense-related activities, though what qualifies in this category remained undefined during the summit. Russia was again identified as a long-term threat to the alliance, and all members reaffirmed their commitment to Article 5, the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. The summit also confirmed continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and welcomed the ceasefire in the Twelve-Day War "achieved through the efforts of U.S. President Trump." NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte voiced support for US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The summit proceedings went smoothly, and U.S. President Trump was reportedly in good spirits, expressing satisfaction with the agreement, which fulfilled his long-standing demand for greater European defense contributions. Spain initially opposed the five percent target, calling it excessive, and was granted an exemption, with promises to raise its contribution to 2.1% eventually. The division of the five percent into two categories was a strategy proposed by Rutte to secure broader support. Despite some earlier ambiguity from Trump regarding his commitment to Article 5, the final declaration firmly reaffirmed NATO's collective defense guarantee.
With member states signing a final agreement, it marked a major diplomatic win for NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and renewed strength of the alliance. Former Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot argued that Rutte's pragmatic, carefully planned approach was effective in keeping Trump committed to NATO and increasing support for Ukraine.
The outcomes of the summit were documented in the closing declaration ('The Hague Summit Declaration').
Closing declaration
The summit was concluded with 'The Hague Summit Declaration' - which included the following points:
- Member States confirm 'ironclad commitment' to Article 5;
- All member states except Spain agree to a new 5% defence spending target noting Russia and terrorism as long-term threats to the alliance;
- The new 5% commitment will be split into 3.5% on 'core defence' and 1.5% on defence related costs - of which any support to Ukraine will be counted because Ukraine's security contributes to the security of the alliance - and check progress in 2029;
- Member states will work to eliminate defence trade barriers;
- The next NATO summit will be held in Turkey and the one after in Albania.
The full text of The Hague Summit Declaration is