Donald Trump leaves the Netherlands again

American President Donald Trump has left the Netherlands again after the NATO summit. He just left Schiphol.
Just before 6:00 PM, the presidential plane, Air Force One, took off from the Kaagbaan runway.
A few dozen interested parties were standing in the parking lot next to the runway, including Schiphol staff, bystanders and plane spotters. They had to keep their distance. There was also a man wearing a Make America Great Again cap. The area around the runway was secured by military police.


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Trump thanks 'the beautiful' Netherlands

"It's a beautiful, truly beautiful country," says Trump, who emphasizes once again that he has enjoyed his stay with the royal couple immensely. He thanks 'the beautiful' Netherlands 'for the royal reception' and is also full of praise for Rutte's performance.

De Telegraaf

12 minutes ago

13 minutes ago

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18 minutes ago

Van Zanen finds highway blockade disappointing

According to the mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, it is disappointing that activists tried to block the A12 motorway several times on Wednesday."I find it very regrettable that there are people who think it helps to break the law and block it. That does not help and we have responded appropriately," says the mayor.

Van Zanen says that it was about short blockades,"two times ten minutes of ten people". He draws a comparison with other demonstrations in recent weeks, such as the pro-Palestinian Red Line demonstration of 15 June. At that time, around 150,000 people walked through The Hague. According to the mayor, such protests have"demonstrated that you can make historical statements with historical numbers without systematically breaking the law. I would say: I would think about it."

27 minutes ago

Gates of NATO site in The Hague opened to the public

The gates of the NATO summit grounds in The Hague were opened to the public on Wednesday evening. This happened on Prins Mauritslaan in the presence of mayor Jan van Zanen. People who had registered can enter the grounds, although in practice there are no checks for admission tickets. The gates on Statenlaan were also opened to the public.

According to the municipality, some 4,750 people had registered to visit the site, which means the event is full. An ANP reporter sees long lines to get onto the site. Visitors had to be patient, because the opening of the site was delayed by an hour.

Interested parties are allowed to enter through the delegation entrance and look at important places in the NATO area, such as the meeting room where the world leaders met earlier in the day. Visitors are also allowed to look at the place where the joint photo was taken and have their picture taken. Many do so.

Direct residents received an invitation from the municipality on Monday evening to come. On Wednesday morning, others were also given the opportunity to register to view the site.

59 minutes ago

The mayor of The Hague is popular with the young people from the Statenkwartier. They like to have their picture taken with him. Just like Britt (18), who lives around the corner."I really enjoyed seeing everything the past few days. Only the detour was a bit less fun," she says.

Today 17:15

Rutte: US remains necessary despite higher European defense spending

Even if defense spending increases, Ukraine cannot do without the support of the United States, according to NATO chief Mark Rutte."I don't find it strange at all that, financially speaking, the burden goes more to Europe and Canada." But the NATO chief thinks that for the time being they will have a hard time doing without the American defense industry and what the United States currently has in its arsenal.

"If necessary, it won't all be paid for by America, but you do need it," says Rutte. He is referring, for example, to the air defense systems that the US has. These are severely lacking in European countries.

Today 17:14

The Hague mayor Jan van Zanen is proud and he radiates it."We have radiated the power of peace and security here."

He is grateful to the people of The Hague for their patience and adaptability. But he also wants to thank the police from all over the country."There was an elderly woman who could not come to her excursion, she was taken away by a police officer." 

These were great days, says Van Zanen beaming."The city was also proud. I am sure that the whole of The Hague was glued to the TV today." Van Zanen opens the gates after which almost 5,000 residents go to take a look.

Today 17:13

Rutte does not believe that Spain can achieve defense goals cheaply

Mark Rutte does not believe that Spain can indeed meet the agreements made at the NATO summit without investing much more money in defense. The countries have agreed that at least 3.5 percent of the economy must be invested in the armed forces, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thinks he can manage with about 2 percent.

"Look, Spain just signed a declaration," said the NATO Secretary General after the summit in The Hague. According to Rutte, the 3.5 percent was chosen because"according to everyone else" that amount is needed to sufficiently strengthen the armed forces."I say: well Pedro, the Prime Minister of Spain, really zero chance. But in itself it is true, he has to achieve the targets." Rutte would find it "clever" if that succeeds.

Until the target year 2035, the countries must report on the steps they have taken to arrange the reinforcements. That also applies to the Spanish prime minister, Rutte emphasizes."So he is going to show how he is going to build all those air defense systems and long-range missiles and landforms. Then you will quickly see that it does not work for that 2.1" percent.

According to the Secretary General, it is true that achieving the goals is the most important thing."But there is really no one who thinks it is possible, and I don't think there are many people in Spain either. We'll see."

After the summit, several countries, such as Belgium, Italy and Slovenia, said that there was still some flexibility in the agreements. However, Rutte states that Sánchez is the only one who stepped out of line at the summit. He said that"all countries except Spain" assume that 3.5 percent."There is no opt-out, there is no deal," according to Rutte.

Today 17:11

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Today 17:11

Rutte didn't mean it that way when he called Trump 'daddy'

Mark Rutte believes he was misunderstood when he called US President Donald Trump 'daddy'. The attitude of European countries reminded Rutte mainly of children who are afraid that 'daddy' will leave the family. He also used the term when Trump compared Israel and Iran to fighting children."And then daddy sometimes has to use strong language," Rutte referred to Trump's harsh words against both countries.

On social media, many jokes are made about the affectionate and sometimes sexual connotation that the word 'daddy' has for some. Rutte's statements also led to hilarity and embarrassment at the NATO summit. A journalist asked him if it was humiliating and weakened his position. Rutte denied it:"It's a matter of taste. And he is a good friend, especially when he forces us to invest more."

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Today 17:05

Today 17:04

Donald Trump continues to bash the American media on social media. During his press conference at the end of the NATO summit, he also took a swipe at CNN and The New York Times.