Overview

• NATO has extended a formal invitation to Ukraine to attend the June 24–26 summit in The Hague, marking an unprecedented inclusion of Kyiv in alliance deliberations.
• President Donald Trump will attend the meeting, underscoring his push for members to raise defense budgets and signaling U.S. engagement on Euro-Atlantic security.
• Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed a phased target of 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending plus 1.5 percent on broader security-related outlays by 2032, a timeline some allies deem too slow.
• Leaders of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic countries reiterated their commitment to Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO membership and rejected Russian demands to halt alliance expansion.
• Separate talks in Istanbul produced another prisoner exchange but failed to secure an immediate ceasefire as Russia maintains conditions to stop NATO enlargement and ease sanctions.