Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof at the Catshuis in the Hague. Photo: RNZ / Jamie Tahana
Here in Europe, the news alerts came through late at night. A US airbase in Qatar had been struck by Iranian missiles. When people awoke this morning, there was word of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Hours later, that was all dashed, before being back on again.
The breakneck speed of tumultuous global events in recent days has added an urgency and uncertainty to a NATO summit that has already been billed as one of the most consequential since the Cold War. The German chancellor Friedrich Merz billed it as an historic summit.
But organisers have been at pains to have it as uneventful as possible: keep it short, keep it simple, and avoid any derailments. To do that, they've gone to lengths to please US president Donald Trump, who has been a vocal critic of the alliance.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on June 24, 2025, to attend the NATO summit in The Hague. Photo: AFP / MANDEL NGAN
Still, while the Middle East isn't on the official agenda, it is dominating much of the chatter here in The Hague.
"The important thing is what happens next," said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, again calling for calm. "There is a marvellous opportunity now for the diplomacy and the dialogue that I've been calling for."
Follow updates on the Middle East siutation with RNZ's blog
NATO's secretary general Mark Rutte told a news conference the Iran-Israel conflict would not draw attention from the summit's main focus. If the alliance can't "deal with the Middle East, which is very big in commanding all the headlines, and Ukraine at the same time, we should not be in the business of politics and military", he said.
That focus for Rutte, who took over the top role last year, is to secure a commitment for members to heavily boost their defence spending to satisfy the demands of President Trump.
Throughout the day, 32 world leaders have started to trickle into this Dutch city, including Luxon. Much of The Hague is shut down for the summit. Armed police are blocking streets, bike police are blocking cycle paths, with protests flaring up in other parts of town and on the railway tracks.
New Zealand is not a NATO member, so will not be part of tomorrow's session where many of the political decisions will be made, such as a pledge to increase spending or the alliance's support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia, which is likely to be more muted in light of Trump's antipathy.
Instead, Luxon will have as many as a dozen bilateral meetings with NATO leaders during his two days here. He started on Tuesday at the residence of Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, before meeting with the leaders of Sweden, Finland and Denmark, before Rutte himself.
Tomorrow, he will attend a meeting of a group of NATO partners known as the IP-4: New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Christopher Luxon with Dick Schoof. Photo: RNZ / Jamie Tahana
Indo-Pacific region a focus
NATO leaders are growing increasingly wary of the Indo-Pacific region, with growing concerns about China and North Korea.
"You have your eyes on the region and we can learn from you and through you what is happening in the Indo-Pacific," Rutte told Luxon ahead of their meeting overnight. "So this relationship means a lot to NATO."
Earlier this month, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson accused NATO of an "eastward expansion", saying the region "does not need an 'Asia-Pacific' version of NATO".
But a NATO official stressed that increased cooperation did not mean a footprint in the region: "Working with our Indo-Pacific partners is not about NATO going into the Indo-Pacific, even if we feel that the Indo-Pacific is coming to us," the official said.
Instead, Luxon said the discussions focussed on issues such as: cyber-security collaboration, training, and procurement.
"I think NATO should be focused on Europe and that's exactly where the focus needs to be.
"I want to be really clear: we are not members of NATO, we are partners."
Luxon will tonight attend a dinner with the Dutch king and all the leaders at NATO, including Trump.
