NATO’s upcoming summit declaration may sideline Ukraine over Trump-related issues

Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on the issue.

Preparations are underway for what could be one of the most delicate NATO summits in years. Taking place in late June in The Hague, it will be Mark Rutte’s first major test as secretary-general, fittingly held in his hometown.

NATO officials told RFE that Rutte will need all his diplomatic skills to make the summit successful, mainly by keeping the unpredictable U.S. President Trump happy.

Their worst fear is a repeat of the turbulent 2018 Brussels summit, when a tense exchange between Trump and then-Secretary-General Stoltenberg set a rocky tone, followed by Trump threatening to withdraw the U.S. if Europe didn’t increase defense spending.

In order to avoid causing rifts among alliance members, the summit’s duration was cut from three days to just two.

The summit may begin with a dinner, then two sessions: one on defense spending, the other on boosting the defense industry, likely with NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners attending.

In addition, the summit’s final communiqué is being significantly shortened. NATO officials aim to limit it to just three or four paragraphs, unlike recent lengthy statements, 40 paragraphs in Washington in 2024 and 90 in Vilnius the year before.

Ukraine’s NATO membership prospects

This year’s statement might exclude any direct reference to Russia, and possibly Ukraine, making The Hague summit notably different from recent ones.

At both the Washington and Vilnius summits, Ukraine was the main focus, sparking intense debates over its NATO membership and future path. With Trump unlikely to support Ukraine’s membership soon, a European official suggested it might be best to omit Ukraine from the declaration for now.

Trying to negotiate the wording risks producing a weaker statement than the 2024 Washington declaration, where NATO committed to backing Kyiv’s “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”

This raises the question of whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be invited to the Netherlands after being a key guest at past summits. While no invitation has been confirmed, most NATO officials expect him to attend. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna recently warned it would be "a major stratcom mistake" to exclude Zelenskyy, as that would dominate media coverage of the event.

Although the Ukrainian leader is still expected to attend, he likely won’t have a dedicated NATO–Ukraine Council meeting like at the last two summits. For now, the alliance seems to be refocusing inward.