Last month, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte unveiled a “Trump Trillion” chart at a press conference in Washington in a bid to flatter, and perhaps even tutor, U.S. President Donald Trump. He described how U.S. NATO allies had spent more than a trillion dollars on defense since Trump first came to power in 2017 and created hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans.

There’s reason to wonder if Rutte’s numbers entirely add up, but what’s indisputable is that his performance set the stage for this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump’s diplomatic approach to Washington’s allies may be shaped on who exactly has met the 5 percent pledge made at The Hague summit last year.

Last month, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte unveiled a “Trump Trillion” chart at a press conference in Washington in a bid to flatter, and perhaps even tutor, U.S. President Donald Trump. He described how U.S. NATO allies had spent more than a trillion dollars on defense since Trump first came to power in 2017 and created hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans.

There’s reason to wonder if Rutte’s numbers entirely add up, but what’s indisputable is that his performance set the stage for this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump’s diplomatic approach to Washington’s allies may be shaped on who exactly has met the 5 percent pledge made at The Hague summit last year.

Diplomatic sources said the Europeans were geared up to impress Trump, with billions of dollars in tow for U.S. manufacturers. The allies are loosening their purse strings and financing the U.S. defense industry in exchange for continued security coverage in critical areas. Germany has announced its intention to build the largest European army by the 2030s, committing 750 billion euros to its rearmament. Germany spends roughly 60 percent of its defense expenditure on U.S. equipment, a trend likely to continue as that mammoth influx of cash finds its way to businesses able to fill the capability gaps.

There is a broad-based consensus among European allies that U.S. nuclear assets and some of its key capabilities are........

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