Trump slams NATO, praises Erdogan at summit start

US President Donald Trump praised his “chemistry” with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for a NATO summit, while lashing out at European allies for their response to his war in Iran.

Trump was greeted personally by Erdogan on the tarmac as he stepped off Air Force One, before being escorted through the deserted streets of the Turkish capital by a guard of riders on white horses.

The summit comes at a difficult time for the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance, as Trump attacks his allies and Washington withdraws from Europe.

“I was very disappointed in NATO,” Trump said, sitting next to Erdogan in the Turkish leader’s sprawling presidential palace.

“Frankly, if the summit had not taken place in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it is possible that I would not have come.”

NATO officials hope the strong relationship between Trump and the Turkish leader can help ease tensions sparked by the war in Iran.

“It’s a chemistry that works between us,” Trump said.

In a potentially major boost to Erdogan, Trump said Washington would consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, after excluding it from the program in 2019 following Ankara’s purchase of a Russian system.

Turkey has long sought to resolve the issue of readmission to the F35 program and the lifting of U.S. sanctions that have deteriorated ties and hampered Turkish defense projects — and is counting on Trump’s visit to break the impasse.

“Mr. Trump also personally gave us his word on this issue,” Erdogan said.

– ‘Tests’ –

European leaders are seeking to avoid a break with the US leader, which could deal a further blow to NATO’s credibility, after Trump repeatedly questioned Washington’s commitment to protecting its allies.

But before Wednesday’s main session, the US president was clearly still concerned about restrictions imposed by some allies on US forces using bases at the start of the Iranian conflict.

“I was doing tests to see if they would be there or not, because I have said for a long time that we helped them,” he said.

“Italy refused us, Germany refused and France refused.”

Trump also risked reopening another old wound with NATO by reiterating his position that Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark.”

In a bid to prove to Trump that they are keeping their pledge last year to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, NATO allies unveiled new arms deals worth tens of billions before his arrival.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has insisted that European countries are “keeping their promises” by increasing their military budgets and taking more responsibility for defending their continent against Russia.

“Billions are being invested in our security, boosting our economies and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs,” Rutte told a glitzy industry forum.

The alliance released its latest spending figures for 2026, showing that Europe and Canada’s core defense spending is expected to rise 11% this year to $634 billion.

European leaders hope to keep Trump as engaged as possible with NATO, while appreciating that Washington is withdrawing from the continent to focus on other global challenges.

“We are building a more European NATO so that it can remain transatlantic,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said online.

– Zelensky makes the pitch –

While NATO wanted to focus Trump’s attention on increasing its defense budgets, stalled U.S. efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine also returned to the agenda.

Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the NATO gathering and is expected to meet with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday.

“I think they both want to make a deal,” Trump said.

“It’s a shame it took so long, but I think something will come out.”

Europe and Canada are expected to commit to maintaining their military support for Ukraine at 70 billion euros per year in 2026 and 2027 at the summit.

Zelensky urged NATO to step up aid to the country’s air defense as it grapples with a shortage of interceptors critical to shooting down Russian missiles.

“Please make more resolve and more decisions on air defense one of the main outcomes of this NATO summit,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader also proposed that kyiv become a member of the alliance, although Trump previously closed the door.

“Do you really believe it would be right to leave a country and a people with this level of defensive capability outside of NATO?” Zelensky said

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