Finally, a Productive NATO Summit
Peter Zeihan
5 min
Europeans must manage Donald Trump by flattering him to secure necessary defense commitments. If Europeans figure out how to play the game, the Russians are in a pickle.
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Donald Trump
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Xi Jinping
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Vladimir Putin
Chapters
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0:00
NATO Summit Success
The recent NATO summit avoided conflict and codified agreements for defense spending increases. Alliance members agreed to raise defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP. Germany acknowledged an impending war with Russia and committed to preparation. Donald Trump previously threatened not to defend allies at past summits.
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0:55
Mark Rutte's Role
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte secured agreements by courting Trump.
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2:12
Managing Trump
Europeans learned to manage Trump by flattering him rather than treating him as an ally.
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3:01
Dutch Middleman Strategy
The Netherlands acts as a neutral middleman to prevent crises between major European powers. Increased spending and new technology could outclass Russian military capabilities.
Key points
- 0:00
The recent NATO summit avoided the expected conflict and codified pre-summit agreements.
- 0:00
Alliance members agreed to double or triple defense spending to reach 5% of GDP.
- 0:00
Germany acknowledged that a war with Russia is coming and committed to preparation.
- 0:00
Donald Trump previously threatened not to defend allies at past summits.
- 0:55
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte secured agreements by courting Donald Trump.
- 2:12
Europeans learned to manage Trump by flattering him rather than treating him as an ally.
- 3:01
The Netherlands acts as a neutral middleman to prevent crises between major European powers.
- 3:01
Increased spending and new technology could outclass Russian military capabilities.
Who and where
People · 3
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Donald Trump 9
President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Photo 1
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Xi Jinping 1
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 (born 1953)
Photo 2
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Vladimir Putin 1
President of the Russian Federation
Photo 3
1. Photo: Daniel Torok, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata · redrawn in our house style (Donald Trump)
2. Photo: Presidencia de la República del Ecuador, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata · redrawn in our house style (Xi Jinping)
3. Photo: Пресс-служба Президента России, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata · redrawn in our house style (Vladimir Putin)
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