After Trump’s customary accusations and insults, the NATO summit could finally begin. The president berated European countries, particularly Spain, for abandoning the United States during his war against Iran. Once again, he claimed that Americans pay for everything while Europeans are freeloaders. And once again, he asserted a claim to Greenland, arguing that Denmark does not defend the island—and cannot do so because Hitler once occupied the country in a single day.
And Rutte? He deftly sidestepped a Danish journalist who asked what all the flattery and theatrics surrounding Greenland did to his self-respect. He did the same when asked about values. Is NATO still a community of shared values with leaders such as Trump and his host, Erdoğan?
These questions mercilessly exposed the alliance’s underlying problems.
Rutte himself reverted to his familiar role as Trump’s chief flatterer. The “fantastic” Trump, he said, had persuaded Europeans to spend an additional €250 billion on defense in 2025 and 2026. To be on the safe side, he added that Europe’s deteriorating security environment had also made such spending unavoidable.
It is true that momentum is building. At last Tuesday’s defense industry summit, €50 billion worth of defense contracts were signed. In addition, €80 billion in military assistance for Ukraine was confirmed. We also saw the first cautious signs of a shift towards buying European equipment. Most notably, NATO decided to replace its American AWACS surveillance aircraft with aircraft produced by the European manufacturer Saab. Airbus will supply a large military transport aircraft to a coalition of countries. New European ammunition projects are being launched, and Ukrainian President Zelensky secured major drone contracts, including with the Netherlands.
Whether the summit should be considered a success remains open to debate. NATO did not fall apart, and Europeandefense integration is gathering pace. Trump did not walk out, but he once again demonstrated his deep dislike of NATO.
Personally, I welcome Trump’s approach. He is forcing Europeans to stand on their own feet and become independent of the United States much faster than anyone had anticipated.
In the end, I believe the outcome will be detrimental to the United States. That is not only because of Trump’s rhetoric, but above all because of his threats towards Denmark and Greenland, and because of his ill-considered war against Iran, during which far too much ammunition was expended while American production capacity remains limited.
It will take the United States no less than 42 months simply to replenish its own stockpiles of Patriot missiles. Twenty countries have already placed orders, but it remains uncertain whether deliveries can be made on time. As a result, Europe is preparing to manufacture these missiles under license, while the Ukrainian company Firepoint, together with firms in European NATO countries, is developing an alternative. Thanks to Trump, Ukraine is rapidly replacing the United States as Europe’s principal supplier of weapons.
President Zelensky recently stated that his only remaining problem is the shortage of PAC-3 Patriot missiles. Every other weapon system, he said, Ukraine is now producing itself. That demonstrates that the widespread assumption that Europe cannot become independent of the United States for the foreseeable future has little factual basis.
If Ukraine can hold back the Russians, then the rest of Europe, working together with Ukraine, should be able to do the same. In that case, the real loser will be the United States, because Trump will have alienated America’s allies while its own defense industry is unable to meet demand.
Source: Trouw, Rob de Wijk, 9 juli 2026
Experts
Related Content
