By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatens to derail a NATO summit that Secretary General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival.

The NATO leaders were meeting against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Trump yesterday declared a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, after a week that saw the US target Iranian nuclear sites and Iran retaliate with a telegraphed move on a US air base in Qatar.

NATO allies agreed over the weekend to set a defense spending target of five percent of GDP, satisfying one of Trump’s top demands. And NATO chief MARK RUTTE looked to keep the discussion The summit is just slated to include one joint meeting of the leaders and produce a “very concise and crisp” statement in lieu of past summits’ detailed communiqués.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — NATO leaders gathered in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a historic two-day summit that could unite the world’s biggest security organization around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 allies.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are gathering this week for what might be a historic summit

U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO leaders are set to meet Tuesday for a summit that could either bring the world’s largest security alliance together with a new defense spending commitment or deepen existing divisions among its members.