The leaders reaffirmed their “ironclad commitment” to NATO’s collective defense clause, Article 5. In recent years, Trump had sowed seeds of doubt about whether the U.S. — NATO’s most powerful member — would come to the aid of any ally under attack.

There were unexpected moments of levity among the momentous decisions on raising spending to levels not seen since the Cold War.

President Trump spoke with Zelensky before he left The Hague after spending less than 24 hours there for the NATO summit.