THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — NATO leaders are gathering in the Netherlands for the start of a historic two-day summit that could unite the 32-member security organization around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Click to Gallery
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a media conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, from left, President Donald Trump, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather with NATO country leaders for a family photo during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban is greeted by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, and Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, at an official welcome during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump, left, walks by Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen prior to a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump leaves after a media conference at the end of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Police detain a protester during a rally against the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
President Donald Trump watches Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump, Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio, center, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrive for a media conference at the end of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, front row from fifth left, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose with NATO country leaders for a family photo during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during a media conference at the end of the NATO summit as Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio, right, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth listen, in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Demonstrators protest against the NATO summit as police follow them in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Police detain a protester during a rally against the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
President Donald Trump, center left, walks by Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, center front, prior to a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Front row left to right, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pose during a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump, center front, poses during a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
NATO heads of state and government pose for a group photo during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump poses with Netherland's King Willem Alexander and Netherland's Queen Maxima at the Paleis Huis den Bosch prior to attending a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Frank van Beek, Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, third left, and Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey, center, arrive for the NATO defense forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
From left, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose as they meet on the sidelines of the two-day NATO's Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)
Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the Catshuis on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump, right, is welcomed by Netherland's King Willem Alexander, Netherland's Queen Maxima and Netherland's Crown Princess Amalia as he arrives for a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Misha Schoemakers, Pool Photo via AP)
US President Donald Trump, center left, along with the King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, center, poses for a family photo at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Haiyun Jiang/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump climbs the stairs to the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump arrives for a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A member of the household staff closes a door as NATO heads of state and government attend a dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives for a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
NATO heads of state and government attend a dinner with Netherland's King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump, center, attends a dinner of NATO heads of state and government at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, walks with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, Pool)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, arrives at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of a dinner on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
A police sharpshooter monitors the area ahead of a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer take their seat at the beginning of an E3 meeting at a hotel on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana, left, arrive at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of a dinner on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. security personnel use a measuring tape to establish the required height for the boarding stairs that will be used for Air Force One ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, visits the Netherlands marines training base, as part of the UK-Netherlands Joint Amphibious Force in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. (Ben Stansall/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump exits Air Force One as he arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pose for photographers prior to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Claudia Greco, Pool Photo via AP)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the audience during the NATO defense forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Kin Cheung, Pool)
Security patrol around the perimeter of the venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025 ahead of the upcoming NATO summit. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
International flags on the venue ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Inside view of the conference hall for the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on his way to The Hague, to join world leaders gathering in the Netherlands for a two-day NATO summit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Security patrol around the perimeter of the venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025 ahead of the upcoming NATO summit. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the Catshuis on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on his way to The Hague, to join world leaders gathering in the Netherlands for a two-day NATO summit. The Washington Monument stands right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025 ahead of the NATO summit. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a media conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, from left, President Donald Trump, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather with NATO country leaders for a family photo during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban is greeted by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, and Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, left, at an official welcome during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump, left, walks by Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen prior to a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump leaves after a media conference at the end of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Police detain a protester during a rally against the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
President Donald Trump watches Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump, Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio, center, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrive for a media conference at the end of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, front row from fifth left, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose with NATO country leaders for a family photo during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during a media conference at the end of the NATO summit as Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio, right, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth listen, in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Demonstrators protest against the NATO summit as police follow them in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Police detain a protester during a rally against the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
President Donald Trump, center left, walks by Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, center front, prior to a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Front row left to right, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pose during a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump, center front, poses during a group photo of NATO heads of state and government at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
NATO heads of state and government pose for a group photo during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump poses with Netherland's King Willem Alexander and Netherland's Queen Maxima at the Paleis Huis den Bosch prior to attending a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Frank van Beek, Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, third left, and Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey, center, arrive for the NATO defense forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
From left, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose as they meet on the sidelines of the two-day NATO's Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)
Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the Catshuis on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump, right, is welcomed by Netherland's King Willem Alexander, Netherland's Queen Maxima and Netherland's Crown Princess Amalia as he arrives for a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Misha Schoemakers, Pool Photo via AP)
US President Donald Trump, center left, along with the King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, center, poses for a family photo at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Haiyun Jiang/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump climbs the stairs to the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump arrives for a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A member of the household staff closes a door as NATO heads of state and government attend a dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives for a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
NATO heads of state and government attend a dinner with Netherland's King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump, center, attends a dinner of NATO heads of state and government at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, walks with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, Pool)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, arrives at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of a dinner on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
A police sharpshooter monitors the area ahead of a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer take their seat at the beginning of an E3 meeting at a hotel on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana, left, arrive at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of a dinner on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Remko de Waal, Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. security personnel use a measuring tape to establish the required height for the boarding stairs that will be used for Air Force One ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, visits the Netherlands marines training base, as part of the UK-Netherlands Joint Amphibious Force in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. (Ben Stansall/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump exits Air Force One as he arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pose for photographers prior to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Claudia Greco, Pool Photo via AP)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the audience during the NATO defense forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, taking place in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Kin Cheung, Pool)
Security patrol around the perimeter of the venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025 ahead of the upcoming NATO summit. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
International flags on the venue ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Inside view of the conference hall for the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on his way to The Hague, to join world leaders gathering in the Netherlands for a two-day NATO summit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Security patrol around the perimeter of the venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025 ahead of the upcoming NATO summit. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the Catshuis on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on his way to The Hague, to join world leaders gathering in the Netherlands for a two-day NATO summit. The Washington Monument stands right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 23, 2025 ahead of the NATO summit. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the U.S. ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
The Nobel Institute has said Machado could not give her prize to Trump, an honor that he has coveted. Even if it the gesture proves to be purely symbolic, it was extraordinary given that Trump has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been the face of resistance in Venezuela. He has signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s second in command.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told reporters after leaving the White House and heading to Capitol Hill. She said she had done so "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela, giving no timetable on when elections might be held. Machado indicated that he had provided few specifics on that front during their discussion.
She did not provide more information on what was said, and the White House did not say if Trump accepted the medal or offer other details of its own.
After a closed-door meeting with Trump, Machado greeted dozens of cheering supporters waiting for her near the White House gates, stopping to hug many.
“We can count on President Trump,” she told them without elaborating, prompting some to briefly chant, “Thank you, Trump.”
Before her visit to Washington, Machado had not been seen in public since she traveled last month to Norway, where her daughter received the peace prize on her behalf. She had spent 11 months in hiding in Venezuela before she appeared in Norway after the ceremony.
The jubilant scene after her meeting with Trump stood in contrast to political realities in Venezuela. Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations, along with others in Maduro’s inner circle. In her first state of the union speech Thursday, the interim president promoted the resumption of diplomatic ties between the historic adversaries and advocated for opening the state-run oil industry to more foreign investment after Trump pledged to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.
Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice” but also said the meeting didn’t mean Trump’s opinion of her changed, calling it “a realistic assessment.”
Leavitt told reporters that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.
Leavitt said Machado had sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. She spent about two and a half hours at the White House.
“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said while the meeting was still going on, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”
After leaving the White House, Machado went on to a closed-door meeting with a bipartisan group of senators.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Machado told them that “if there’s not some progress, real progress towards a transition in power, and/or elections in the next several months, we should all be worried.”
“She reminded us that Delcy Rodríguez is, in many ways, worse than Maduro,” he added.
Asked if Machado had heard any commitment from the White House on holding elections in Venezuela, Murphy said, “No, I don’t think she got any commitment from them."
Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, was exultant following the meeting, saying Machado "delivered a message that loud and clear: What President Trump did was the most important, significant event in Latin America. That getting rid of Maduro was absolutely essential.”
Machado's Washington stop coincided with U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seizing another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela. It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife less than two weeks ago at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and noted that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.
Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.
Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.” Machado had steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize, and had sought to cultivate relationships with him and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, Machado began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush, whom Chávez considered an adversary.
Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Michelle L. Price and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is welcomed at the Capitol before a meeting with senators, from left, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders two weeks after President Donald Trump toppled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a stunning military raid, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, center, leaves the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, center, is welcomed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., far left, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., right, as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)