With the slightly awkward group photos over, it was down to business.
Nervous NATO members were meeting in Brussels to seek reassurance from the Trump Administration about the United States' commitment to the transatlantic alliance.
There have been mixed messages from new president Donald Trump.
He called NATO "obsolete" during the US election campaign but, more recently, has thrown his support behind the 70-year-old alliance.
At the meeting, European leaders have received some soothing words from President Trump's defence secretary, Jim Mattis.
"The alliance remains a fundamental bedrock for the United States and for all the transatlantic community, bonded as we are together. As President Trump has stated, he has strong support for NATO."
But Mr Mattis made it clear the love was conditional.
"It's absolutely appropriate, as a European minister of defence said last week. It's a fair demand that all who benefit from the best defence in the world carry their proportionate share of the necessary costs to defend freedom. And we should never forget, ultimately, it is freedom that we defend here at NATO."
NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance is strong.
He says European countries have increased their defence spending in recent years by as much as $10 billion annually.
"The US has been clear that we need more defence spending and fairer burden-sharing. This has been my top priority since I took office in 2014. After many years of cuts, I am glad to say that we have turned a corner."
James Mattis told the meeting that investing in common defence was vital.
He cited challenges that have emerged since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Islamic State emerged as a threat on Turkey's southern border.
Jens Stoltenberg says Mr Mattis has conveyed a firm but fair message to the allies.
"That message is about the importance of fairer burden-sharing, and it reflects a political reality in the United States. And I have seen that myself in different meetings with politicians from both parties, underlining the importance of a more balanced and fairer burden-sharing in the alliance. And I think that was appreciated by the ministers."
And Mr Stoltenberg says the ministers responded with their own emphatic message.
"And that is that they are ready now to step up, they are ready to do more, not only as a favour to the United States, but because they see that it is in the interest of Europe and Canada to invest more in defence. This is in the interest of Europe because Europe needs stronger defence, more investments in our security."
NATO says there has been a 4 per cent real increase in military spending across Europe and Canada.
And it says countries like Romania and the Baltic states of Latvia and Lithuania will soon reach the target of 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product devoted to defence.
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