Trump attends NATO summit

President Trump said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel did discuss the Russian gas pipeline that funnels natural gas to Germany, but declined to address his earlier comments about Germany being "totally controlled" by Russia.

"Yes," Trump said when asked about his comments. "We did discuss that."

Instead, the US President, sitting alongside Merkel at the bottom of their bilateral meeting at NATO headquarters, said he and Merkel have a "very, very good relationship."

Trump also congratulated Merkel for having "tremendous success" and said he believes trade between the US and Germany will increase.

Merkel also did not address Trump's comments, simply saying she was "very pleased" to have an opportunity to discuss big issues like economic development, migration and trade with Trump.

President Trump, meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, touted the US's relationship with Germany.

This is striking difference from how Trump started the morning. Ahead of the summit, President Trump accused Germany, a close US ally, of being "a captive of Russia." He also demanded all NATO members increase their defense spending.

President Trump started this year's NATO summit by accusing Germany, a close US ally of being "a captive of Russia," and demanding all NATO members increase their defense spending.

Within hours of those comments, German Chancellor Angela Merkel touted German contributions to NATO — and how its defended US interests.

Merkel also noted that she grew up in Germany during a time when part of Germany "was controlled by the Soviet Union" and pointedly noted that Germany can now "form our own independent policies and can make independent decisions."

First lady Melania Trump is also in Belgium, where President Trump is attending the NATO summit.

Trump and other NATO spouses are at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in the leafy suburb of Waterloo, Belgium, today. It's about a 40-minute drive from Brussels’ city center.

Queen Elisabeth’s is a working music academy — much like New York City's Juilliard School — which focuses primarily on six disciplines: Singing, violin, piano, cello, viola, and chamber music.

Trump wore a navy blue Calvin Klein dress and Christian Louboutin high heels as she was greeted by her hosts for the event, Amelie Derbaudrenghien, the domestic partner of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and Ingrid Schulerud, the wife of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Ahead of the NATO summit, President Trump tweeted that the US spends 4% of its GDP on defense. (NATO members target defense spending at 2% of economic output — you can read more on that in the post just below this one.)

Here are the numbers: In 2010, the US spent 4.81% of its GDP on defense. But that percentage has trailed off in recent years. Last year, the US spent 3.57%.

Take a look at the seven-year breakdown of the US and other NATO members:

CNN's Kaitlan Collins explains more:

President Trump has demanded that NATO members increase their defense spending "immediately."

NATO members target defense spending at 2% of economic output. (Note: The target is described only as a “guideline,” and there is no penalty for not meeting it.)

But here's the thing: While NATO has long been pushing for higher spending, a summit pledge in 2014 gave laggard members a goal of meeting the target by 2024. 

CNN's Christiane Amanpour explained:

Watch more:

Spain’s new prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, responded to Trump’s criticism of NATO allies Wednesday by saying his country was already increasing defense spending. 

He added that Spain’s military capabilities “are well above the average” and that its missions lasted “long over” the average. 

President Trump is attending the NATO summit in Brussels today. He was just welcomed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Trump is expected to meet with both French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during this summit.

That second meeting could be especially tense: Trump this morning accused Germany — a close US ally — of being "a captive of Russia" and all-but ordering members of the alliance to increase their defense spending "immediately."

President Trump just arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for the organization's summit.

The mood is already tense: Trump came out brawling in his first public comments here ahead of the summit, accusing German — a close US ally — of being "a captive of Russia" and all-but ordering members of the alliance to increase their defense spending "immediately."

Watch Trump's arrival in the clip below: