Europe | Keeping the president happy

This week’s NATO summit will be all about placating Donald Trump

The Europeans plan to keep it short and snappy

This illustration shows political leaders, military missiles, tanks, and fighter jets with a NATO flag in the background. The design uses bold black, white, and blue colors, suggesting themes of war, defense, and international politics.
Illustration: Klawe Rzeczy
|6 min read

FOUR MONTHS ago Friedrich Merz, freshly triumphant in Germany’s election, mused aloud that the largest, longest-lasting and most successful alliance in modern history might soon evaporate. “I am very curious to see how we are heading towards the NATO summit at the end of June,” he remarked. “Whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly.”

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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Keeping the president happy”

From the June 21st 2025 edition

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