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 Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised President Donald Trump for making Europe “pay in a BIG way,” as allied leaders gathered in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a historic summit that could unite them around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 member countries.

Trump, en route to the NATO summit, once again raises questions about his commitment to the alliance’s pledge of mutual defense.