German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that Russia’s president understands only the language of force and that Tuesday’s “historic” Nato summit in The Hague will aim to ensure peace in Europe for generations to come. Merz told Germany’s parliament hours before the summit was due to start that Vladimir Putin remained determined that Ukraine should be part of Russia, and he said Berlin would pay its “fair share” to defend Europe. US President Donald Trump is on his way to the Hague for his first Nato summit since 2019 where all 32 leaders are set to commit to spending 3.5% of national output on defence and a further 1.5% on related infrastructure. Ahead of a summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran conflict, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte told his European colleagues to stop worrying about the US commitment to the Western alliance and focus on investing in defence and supporting Ukraine. He insisted the US president and senior leadership had a “total commitment” to Nato, that came with an expectation of matching American military spending. Rutte said Europe and Canada had already committed to more than $35bn (£26bn) in military support for Ukraine this year. Ten people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday, and the German chancellor said every attempt to bring Russia to the negotiating table had so far been unsuccessful. Missile attacks on the eastern city of Dnipro and the nearby town of Samar killed 11 people and wounded another 150, according to the regional chief Serhiy Lysak. A number of children were wounded in the attack on Dnipro, which damaged a kindergarten and a passenger train. An earlier missile strike on Sumy in the north-east killed three people, including a child. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, who has arrived in The Hague, is due to meet Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Nato summit. It would be their first encounter since they met at Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican in April. Nato member states are expected to approve a major new investment plan which will raise the benchmark for defence investment to 5% of GDP. Many of the allies are far below the commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035, but the German government backed a budget deal on Tuesday to hit that target by 2029. Some €62.4bn (£53bn) will be spent on defence in 2025, rising to €152.8bn in 2029, partly financed by debt and special funds. “We’re not doing that as a favour to the US and its president, we’re doing this out of our own view and conviction, because Russia is actively and aggressively endangering the security and freedom of the entire-Euro-Atlantic area.” During the summit, Merz is due to meet UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron. Mark Rutte has spent much of the nine months since becoming Nato Secretary General working to get allies to commit to the 5% target. The figure is more than double Nato members’ current 2% guideline and seemed unthinkable – and unrealistic – to most when President Trump first set it in January. The two-day Nato summit has been scaled back, so that after Tuesday’s dinner hosted by the Dutch king, there will be a working session of under three hours on Wednesday and a five-paragraph statement, apparently to accommodate President Trump. The wording of the commitment in the statement is key. While 3.5% of of the target spending will cover core defence requirements, 1.5% will be spent on “defence-related expenditure” – a suitably broad expression that encompasses investments in anything from cybersecurity to infrastructure. Reaching the 3.5% core defence spending target will still require a significant adjustment for the majority of Nato countries. Out of 32 allies, 27 spend under 3%, with eight hovering well below the 2% threshold set by the alliance in 2014. On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged that the UK would meet the 5% target by 2035. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is the second-largest military spender in Nato after the US. The UK’s pledge to meet the 5% target is also significant because it is the first time a major European power has committed to the target. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is not relying solely on the US for its security. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is not relying solely on the US for its security, but is taking a more active role in its own defence and security. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is taking a more active role in its own defence and security, rather than relying solely on the US for its security. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is taking a more active role in its own defence and security, rather than relying solely on the US for its security, but is working in partnership with the US and other allies to strengthen the collective defence capabilities of the alliance. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is taking a more active role in its own defence and security, rather than relying solely on the US for its security, but is working in partnership with the US and other allies to strengthen the collective defence capabilities of the alliance and to deter potential threats from Russia and other adversaries. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is taking a more active role in its own defence and security, rather than relying solely on the US for its security, but is working in partnership with the US and other allies to strengthen the collective defence capabilities of the alliance, deter potential threats from Russia and other adversaries, and promote peace and stability in Europe and beyond. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence, and that it is taking a more active role in its own defence and security, rather than relying solely on the US for its security, but is working in partnership with the US and other allies to strengthen the collective defence capabilities of the alliance, deter potential threats from Russia and other adversaries, promote peace and stability in Europe and beyond, and uphold the values and principles of the alliance, including the commitment to collective defence and the promotion of democratic values and human rights. The UK’s commitment to the 5% target is significant because it is a clear signal that Europe is taking the threat from Russia seriously and is prepared to invest in its own defence.