Trump’s NATO pressure campaign continues as summit beginsExBulletin

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (left) appear during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House June 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images .

switch captionAndrew Harnik/Getty Images

Just days before arriving in Turkey for the annual NATO summit, President Trump made it clear that, in his mind, he and the world’s largest defense alliance are not on speaking terms.

“The United States spends by far more money on NATO than any other country, to protect them, without getting any benefit,” he posted on social media on July 2, adding: “Ridiculous!”

His arrival in Ankara kicks off a new potentially tense meeting between the leader of the alliance’s key superpower and the other member countries, who have watched him criticize the organization for a decade.

Trump’s US leadership has led to a tumultuous decade for the world’s largest defense alliance. During his first term, he denounced the 77-year-old North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling it “obsolete” and accusing NATO members of not paying their fair share. French President Emmanuel Macron, acknowledging Trump’s tenuous commitment, said the allies were suffering from the “brain death of NATO.” The alliance then saw renewed interest in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which mobilized member states to resolve the conflict.

But during his second term, Trump resumed his complaints about NATO, focusing specifically on burden-sharing within the organization. He also angered member countries last year by insisting the United States take control of Greenland last year.

As thirty-two member countries meet this week, Western defense industry experts say they are holding their breath and praying that nothing interesting happens.

It will likely be less substantive than previous summits, according to Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC.

“There’s a bit of summit fatigue when it comes to NATO. There aren’t usually summits every year in the history of the alliance,” Bergmann said. “What you have here is a lot of smoke and mirrors, to somehow keep President Trump committed to his support of the NATO alliance. This is an effort to get through the summer summit period without the transatlantic alliance fracturing and falling apart.”

Staying committed to increased defense spending, improving industrial and military supply chains, and the war in Ukraine are all on the agenda this year.

“In Ankara we will show the world that we are delivering on the commitment we made in The Hague last year, we will bring to life the concept known as NATO 3.0, a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO,” Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, said in a recent speech in Washington.

The idea for NATO 3.0 comes from the Pentagon, where U.S. military leaders under Trump want Europe to take responsibility for its own security and depend less on the United States.

“The political approach within the Pentagon is to radically change the way NATO is structured, and to actually shift responsibility for defense from Europe to Europe, and to withdraw American forces. The goal of the NATO secretary general is to stop that,” Bergmann said.

For the Trump administration, the summit will be another opportunity to continue to pressure other countries on their defense spending.

“President Trump fully expects all allies to step up immediately and commit to the 5% path and to do so with urgency,” U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said on a call with reporters on Sunday.

While Trump has made much of the need for Europeans to increase defense spending, Bergmann says there is a bigger problem. For decades, EU countries have coordinated and integrated their defense with that of the United States, rather than with each other.

“We are responsible for everything in the defense of Europe, which is what the United States wanted. Even though we complain about the impassive Europeans, we never wanted the European Union to become a powerful defense player, because that would weaken our influence in Europe,” he said, adding that it would take a lot of time and work to change that.

The weight of European security has been the subject of a decades-long debate, according to Ian Lesser, who studies the alliance for the German Marshall Fund in Brussels.

“I think there is a broad consensus within the alliance that, in the future, NATO will be a more European NATO, but certainly not a NATO without the United States. I think that is extremely unlikely and obviously very undesirable,” he said.

NATO chief hopes to satisfy Trump

Rutte’s mission has been to keep the alliance together – which means keeping Trump happy, analysts say.

“The wild card here, as it was last year, comes primarily from President Trump,” says Torrey Taussig, director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan international affairs organization. “We won’t know if the summit was a real success until the press conferences are over and allied leaders leave Ankara.”

In recent months, President Trump has expressed great frustration with NATO for not doing enough to support the U.S.-Israeli-led war in Iran.

“I just want their loyalty,” Trump said of European allies during a recent Oval Office meeting with Rutte. “We are so loyal to them that we always fight for them.”

But Taussig says European allies were reluctant to get involved in the Iran war because they had not been consulted beforehand.

At the summit, a lot will depend on the personal dynamics between the leaders.

“Rutte has proven, I think, relatively effective in appealing to Trump’s more political character,” Taussig said.

Rutte uses hard data to show President Trump the progress NATO has made over the past year. For example, the Europeans and Canada increased their defense spending by 20%. At NATO’s 2025 summit in The Hague, allies pledged to increase their annual defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, up from 2% previously.

“This is a president who views much of foreign policy as transactional, and alliances do not fit into that framework,” Taussig said. “That being said, I have no reason to believe that this president wants to see the alliance fail under his leadership. He likes to be part of the winning groups, and if the alliance can show that it is making progress, that it is strengthening its defenses and that the president is part of that solution, that would be a positive outcome.”

Turkey plays key role as summit host

Part of the attraction for Trump’s participation in the summit lies in the host country, which is home to one of the few world leaders who has enjoyed good relations with the U.S. president.

“If it weren’t for the fact that this conference was hosted in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don’t think I would have gone,” Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with Rutte.

In recent years, Turkey has played a disruptive role within NATO, slowing the membership of Sweden and Finland in 2023 and 2024. The country’s independent streak and close economic ties with Russia have also caused tensions with the United States and the EU.

At the same time, Turkey has the alliance’s second-largest army and a booming defense industry. Its geopolitical influence has grown significantly, due to its military support for Ukraine and its growing influence in the Middle East, following the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and a weakened Iran.

However, according to Taussig and Bergmann, the most important dynamic at play will likely be the affinity Trump feels for strongman President Erdogan.

“In terms of this particular summit, I actually think that the bilateral relationship between President Erdogan and President Trump will help ease some of the tensions that we are currently seeing within the alliance,” Taussig said.

In recent months, Ankara has frantically revamped itself for the summit, repainting buildings, planting roses and inaugurating a VIP airport near Erdogan’s presidential complex.

This is not without controversy, however, says Bergmann. Under Erdogan’s leadership, Turkish democracy has suffered significant setbacks, including repressive measures against political opposition and press freedom.

“I think a typical American president, Republican or Democrat, would be very worried about going to Turkey, given the domestic political situation,” Bergmann said. “But that’s just not about President Trump.”

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos