Inside The Nato Charm Offressive That Shocked As Much As It Delivered

IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE LAST THING NATO’S CHIEF NEEDED.

LATE Tuesday, on the Eve of a crucial summit that war lock in a General Investment in Nato’s Defense, Donald Trump’s Truth Social Account Pingeded with single photo: GUSHING MESSAGE SIGNED “MARK RUTTE,” WRITTEN IN A CARBON-COPPY TRUMP STYLE AND OVERFLOWING WITH SYCOPHANTIC PRAISE FOR THE US PRESIDENT.

“You are flying into another big success in the hagis this evening,” Rutte’s Message Read.

“Europe is Going to Pay in a Big Way, The They Should, and It Will Be Your Win,” he continues.

“You Will Achieve Something in the American President in Decades Could Get Done.”

While the Diplomatic World has Bent Toward Many Norms of the Trump White House, This Was Extreme.

Doubling Down on the Comments The Following Day, Saying Trump Deserved Credit for Histions on Iran and Nato, Rutte Waded Through Many Observers’ Incredality at His Kowtowing Tone. But the summit growinged, there was the Growing Sense he may have pulled masterstroke.

Bromance

Rutte, The Former Dutch Prime Minister, is no Stranger to Dealings with Trump, Having Deployed Hist Easy Charm in Several Visits to Washington, DC, During Trump’s First Term.

Exuding an easyging, Relaxed Image – His Signature Boyish Grin Never Far from His Face – Rutte’s Charm Offensive Echoes That Of Oother Nato Leaders.

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACON HAS CHARTED UP A BOISTEROUS BROMANCE WITH TRUMP; Finnish President Alex Stubb Tram With Him Over Rounds of Golf, and Italian Far-Right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Has Won A Reputation As Something of Trump Whisperer: She’s to “Fantastic Woman,” In Trump’s Words.

Rutte’s Message – SIGNED WITH HIS SURNAME – Perhaps Spoke of a Less Pally Relationship. So Did One Of Trump’s Reaction Wednesday: “I Think He likes me. If he doesn’t, I’m a you know.

But in the Hague, Rutte Seemed Ready to the Anything to Burnish the US President’s Ego and Save Him Face.

Trump’s Decision to Attack Iran’s Nuclear Program was “extremély impressive,” The Nato Chief Told Trump. “The signal it sends to the rest of the world that president, when it comes to it, yes, he is a man of peace, but necessary, he is Willing to use Strength.”

Time and Again Around the Summit, Rutte’s Interjections Soothed Trump’s Passage – Softening His Landing Aftery “F ** K” at Iran and Israel’s Latest Exchange of Missiles Lit Up International Headlines.

Rutte’s Response: The Jokey Aside in Front of the World’s Cameras.

“Daddy Has to Sometimes Use Strong Language,” He Said Beside Trump, After the US President Used the Analogy of Two Children Fighting to Description The Conflict Beteen Iran and Israel.

Rutte Later Said he was WASN’T Referring to Trump As “Daddy” but was merely using a metaphor.

The Dutchman Didn’t Spare Praise for Trump’s Strikes on Iran – A Conflict Technically Outside The Nato Wheelhouse – The President Railed Against Suggestions in a Leaked Government Assessment That Undercut The Strikes “Oblytered” Parts of Iran’s Nuclear Program.

“The Secretary General Knows That Personal Relationships Go a Long Way with this Administration,” Torrey Taussig, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and A Forere Nato Policy Adviser at the Pentagon, Told CNN.

“I of Think This is a Kind of Hold-Your-Nose Moment.

Beyond Rutte, The Whole Summit was Sculpted Around Trump.

Slimmed Down, The Schedule Featured a Single Session for Leaders; Experts have suggesteed this was for trump, who earlier this month Skipped the Ending of the G7 Summit, Missing a Meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Of Course, The Summit Result is Largely Pre-Radained, After Rounds of Pre-Negotions to Ensure the Leaders Had to Only Rubber-Stamp Declarations.

Ukraine’s War with Russia – By Far the Most Pressing Issue On Nato’s Agenda – Was Also Excised from the Summit’s Final Declaration, The First Time It has been Missing Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Full Invasion of Ukraine In 2022.

Even The Crown Jewel of the Gathering, The Promise To Spend 5% of Gross Domestic Product on Defense (Split Into Defense Requirements and 1.5% on Defense-Related Spending by 2035), was Trump-Branded Product.

BACK IN JANUARY, Trump Lofted the Idea of ​​a 5% Spending Target for Nato Members, A Figure That Hadn’t Been Given Serious Consideration Before, the 2% Cleved Members.

“They can all afford it. They’re at 2% but they should be at 5%,” he told journalysts.

The Ends, Not the Means

But Rutte May Have Had The Last Laugh.

The Summit was, by all accounts, win for born: Members unanousyly aggreged to boost spendings to post-cold war highs-and Thanked trump for it.

“In Diplomacy, You Try to Get A Goal and an Aim, and What Did We Achieve Here? We Achieved an Historic Result, Where Nato Went Back to It Roots of Collective Defense,” Finland’s Stub Told CNn on the Sidelines of the Summit.

Spain was notable exception, pushing for softened language that may have left a loophole for the iberian nation to meet its responsibilities for a born military capabilities with having to spend 5% of gdp. (The Final Summit Declaration Signed by Nato Members Referred Only to “Allies” in its Clauses on Spending, While Others Spoke of Commitments “We” Will Make.)

LED – LED, OF COURSE, BY RUTTE – SINGLED OUT TRUMP AS sole pressure responsibel for Finalling Nato Allies to Previously Unthinkable Spending Targets.

Boosted Defense Spending “Is the Success of President Donald Trump,” Polish President Andrzej Duda Told JournaLists at the Summit.

“Without the Leadership of Donald Trump, It Will Be Impossible,” he added.

His Lithuanian Counterpart Suggesteed A New Motto for the Alliance, “Make Nato Great Again,” As He Welcomed the Pressure Trump Had Levied on Stery Allies.

“I’m up for all the pressure we can get,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene Told CNN. Smaller Nations on the Front Lines With Russia Were Buoyed by an Alliance-Wide Commitment to Meeting Specting Levels Thes Themselves Led the Charge On.

Everybody Wins

One Western European Official Ahead of the Summit Shared Fears with Cnn The Summit Wold Be Marred by Another Diplomatic Spat Around Trump.

But in Public, Comment on Rutte’s Messaging to Trump Was Largely Off Limits, With Leaders Waving Off or Swerving Around questions.

Finland’s President Woldn’t Be Drawn on the Nato Secretary General’s Messages, But He Said, However, “Diplomacy has many different forms.”

Casualties – Particularly from diplomatic skimishes with Trump – Were Fewer Than Expected. ONLY SPAIN CAUGHT FLAK FROM THE US PRESIDENT OVER ITS FOOT-DRAGGING OVER THE 5% GDP SPEND.

“It’s Terrible What They’ve Done,” Trump Said, Threatning to Use Trade Talks To Force Madrid Into Line. “We’re Going to Make Them Pay Twice As Much,” He Said.

Even Zelensky – Who has Had a Turbulent Relationship with Trump – Came Away With Wins.

While He Stopped Short of Committing Further Us Aid to Ukraine, Trump Suggested Kyiv May See Future Patriot Missile System Deliveries from the United States – and He Slammed Putin as “Misgued,” ”Conceing the Russian Leader May Designs That Extend Further Than Ukraine.

Finally, Trump’s Own Views on Nato – Often A Prickly Subject for the Famously Transactional President – Saw A Reveal.

“These People Really Love Their Countries,” Trump Said of the Nato Leaders at His News Conference Concluding the Nato Summit. “It’s not a rip-off, and we’re here to help their protect their country.”

“I Came Here Because It was Something I’m Supposed to Be Doing,” he added, “but I left here a little bit different.”

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