Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte can breathe a sigh of relief after the summit designed to win over Donald Trump did just that. The 32 allies pledged to spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence in a bid to keep the Nato-sceptic US president on side and willing to protect Europe should it be attacked.

NATO’s summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday has been described as “transformational” and “historic.” “We’re witnessing the birth of a new NATO ,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said. The 32 members of the world’s biggest security organization endorsed a plan to massively ramp up defense spending,