Trump rattles allies as he joins Nato summit

Bloc readies to ramp up defence spending

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US President Donald Trump swept into Nato's Hague summit on Tuesday, with allies hoping a pledge to ramp up defence spending will keep the mercurial leader of the military superpower committed to protecting them.

Mr Trump joined leaders from Nato’s 31 other members to kick off the two-day gathering with a dinner hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in the ornate Orange Hall at his royal residence.

The alliance hopes to keep Mr Trump bound to its mutual defence vow by meeting his demand for a headline figure of 5% of GDP on defence spending.

But Mr Trump refused to say he was committed to Nato’s Article Five clause and protecting Europe in comments that will likely rattle his counterparts on the continent.

"Depends on your definition. There’s numerous definitions of Article Five,” Mr Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One. “I'm committed to being their friend.”