The Rambo of the global diplomacy Donald Trump joined the NATO summit at Hague on June 24-25 with a triumphant smile after organizing the ceasefire between Israel and Iran in their 12 day war and strongly imparting the signal that no one matters in the world affairs now excepting the U.S. President. The major European nations which were resorting to anti-Trump rhetoric in the last four months since the last February summit of NATO completely took an about turn and agreed to what Trump wanted. The NATO declaration issued on June 25 was a total vindication of Trump line on imposing 5 per cent of the members respective national incomes on defence spending gradually by 2035. Spain was the only dissenter but Trump threatened Spain and said that he would take care of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez later.
Just remember what happened at the last meeting of NATO and later at the Munich Security Conference of European nations in February this year. US vice president J D Vance termed the European nations as freeloaders and said that USA would no longer carry the burden of defending Europe. French President Emanuel Macron as also Germany talked of independent defence arrangement without depending on USA. European Union members prepared alternative plan for a European security system on its own strength. Only NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, being a pragmatist remained silent. He knew how far the key powers of Europe could go with their plan without assistance from the USA.
So this time at the Hague summit, Rutte was ecstatic at the sight of Donald Trump. He presented the joint declaration as a victory of Trump. He sent a private message saying you will achieve something which no other American President, in decades, could have done. Rutte even said that Trump had done the right thing by persuading the Europeans to do what they did not do on their own.
After so much flattery and seeing the European leaders of NATO in bended knees, Trump was overwhelmed. “This was a tremendous summit, and I enjoyed it very much,” he said at a news conference at the end of the meeting. He added that he understood the central role the United States plays in the defense of Europe. “They want to protect their country, and they need the United States and without the United States, it’s not going to be the same,” he said.
The NATO declaration made no mention of Ukraine’s membership though that was at the agenda. That was done as per wishes of Trump that Ukraine need not be a member of NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a meeting with Trump at Hague but he did not come out of the meeting pleased though the NATO sources said that Ukraine will be getting arms and equipment from NATO member countries. At the G-7 meeting in Canada last week, Trump could not meet the Ukrainian President because he had to rush to Washington on account of Israel-Iran war by skipping the second day of the summit.
In the last two weeks since June 13 when Israel started the war against Iran, Trump did not allow any power to take any initiative to stop the war. France, Germany and Britain talked with Iran about a formula but Trump totally ignored that. President Putin wanted to mediate but Trump just told him you look after Ukraine and nothing more. China circulated a four point proposal but it was not discussed at any level. So all through it was Trump and Trump alone who dealt with the issues of negotiations projecting himself as the only world leader who matters in the year 2025 in global diplomacy.
Gaza still remains an issue and Israel is killing Palestinians consistently. All nations are talking and giving statements but no country including China and Russia are taking concrete steps to stop the killings. This should be main priority of Trump if he really wants to emerge as a peacemaker. Gaza killings by Israel is the latest humanitarian disaster. It has to be stopped. (IPA Service)