Ukraine has dominated NATO summits since Russia's invasion. Not this time with Trump

BRUSSELS (AP) — The war in Ukraine and the existential threat that Russia poses to European security has dominated NATO’s agenda in each of the summits the military alliance has held since Moscow launched its invasion in 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sat at the head of NATO’s table and been uniformly praised for his leadership. Ukraine’s place within the ranks of the world’s biggest military organization seemed assured once the war was over.

But three weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts gather in the Netherlands, it remained unclear whether Zelenskyy would even get a seat, or how much support Ukraine might win in the final summit communique.

Asked on Wednesday about Ukraine’s role at the top-level meeting on June 24-25 in The Hague, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said only that it “will be discussed and on the agenda.”

Ahead of previous summits, NATO envoys have a labored to craft statements that encompass Ukraine’s “irreversible path to membership,” with enduring pledges of support, while insisting that Russia poses the greatest threat to NATO security.

Asked whether Zelenskyy would be invited this time, Rutte said that the meeting program would be available soon. A NATO-Ukraine Council -– standard fare at recent summits -– will not be held, so it’s unclear how he would take part if he was.

Invited to comment on Ukraine’s covert weekend drone attack in Russia -– described as the most significant of the war by some officers and experts -– Rutte said: “I take note,” underlining only that the drones had hit military targets.

Responding to a similar question on Wednesday, Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said: “This war needs to come to an end.” He said Trump “feels very strongly about that” and sees no military solution to end the war.

What is clear is that Trump will take center-stage in The Hague, along with his demand that all 32 NATO allies invest 5% of gross domestic product on their defense. Zelenskyy should not be allowed to steal the limelight.

“A new defence investment plan will be at the heart of the NATO summit in The Hague,” said Rutte, speaking on the eve of a meeting of the organization’s defense ministers at its Brussels headquarters.

He said this should involve “a huge increase in defense spending to make sure that we can keep ourselves safe, not only now, but also in the future.” Rutte said defense companies “need to know that we are spending more” so they will ramp up production.

Whitaker said that the 5% target “is not going to be a pledge — this is going to be a commitment.” He said that the U.S. wants to see concrete plans, budgets and timelines from European allies and Canada on how they intend to get there.

He told reporters that the defense industries of NATO allies “must outpace” Russia. He added: "We have no choice. Let me be clear: the time is now.”

NATO's members are weighing a demand from Rutte that they each spend 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2032, plus a further 1.5% on military-related infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, airfields and ports.

Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain are not yet spending 2%, though Spain expects to reach that goal this year.

Without a strong show of support for Ukraine at the summit -– and the acknowledgement that Russia remains NATO’s biggest security threat -– some member nations may struggle to convince voters of the need to boost defense spending at the expense of other budget demands.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference prior to a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference prior to a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference prior to a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a media conference during the Vilnius Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)