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"Erdogan is a respected leader," Trump and NATO 'ceasefire' before Ankara summit

2026-06-27 16:15:26Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"Erdogan is a respected leader," Trump and NATO 'ceasefire'
Rutte and Trump

For Donald Trump, NATO remains an alliance where many countries seek American protection but do not contribute enough to it. For Mark Rutten, the challenge is quite different: to maintain the unity of the alliance and avoid clashes with the American president.

This was also the atmosphere of the meeting held at the White House, where the NATO Secretary General tried to convince Trump that European allies have listened to Washington's demands and are investing more than ever in defense.

To convince the American president, Rutte chose to speak with numbers.

"This is what I call the 'Trump trillion.' Since 2017, Europeans and Canadians have added over $1.2 trillion in defense spending," Rutte said.

The NATO chief argued that Trump's continued pressure has forced many European governments to review their defense policies and significantly increase military investment. But the US president seemed unwilling to back down from the criticism.

"The main question is: are they paying 5 percent? For the most part, no. We have thousands of troops in Europe, we spend billions of dollars on their security, and what I ask for is loyalty," Trump said.

Trump singled out several European countries, which according to him continue to fail to fulfill the obligations they have undertaken within the alliance.

The US president said the United States did not need military assistance during the operation against Iran, but added that he would have expected at least political support from European allies. According to Trump, many of them did not show the solidarity that Washington expected at a crucial moment.

"We didn't need help. We solved it ourselves in the first week. But it would have been nice to hear some of them say, 'we want to help.' They didn't," said Donald Trump.

Rutte acknowledged that there have been disagreements, but insisted that cooperation between the United States and Europe remains essential.

"Between four and five thousand American planes took off from bases in Europe," said Mark Rutte.

Amidst the debates over NATO, a significant part of the discussion focused on Turkey. Trump spoke positively of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a partner with whom he has worked closely.

"Erdogan is a strong and respected leader. Every time I've asked him for something, he's done it," Trump said.

The US president also hinted that his administration may take steps that would improve military relations with Ankara.

"We'll probably do something that will make him very happy," Trump said.

The statement was interpreted as a direct signal of Turkey's request to return to the F-35 fighter jet program.

A little later, Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the US administration is considering the possibility of returning Turkey to the F-35 program, from which Ankara was excluded after purchasing the Russian S-400 anti-missile system. According to Reuters sources, alternatives are being considered in Washington that could pave the way for an agreement with Ankara, despite the opposition that continues to exist in Congress.

In his conversation with reporters, Trump also touched on the war in Ukraine, a conflict that continues to dominate NATO's security agenda.

Unlike the criticism of Kiev in recent months, this time the head of the White House used more positive tones for Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian resistance to Russia.

"He's doing pretty well. No matter how you look at it, he's holding out. There are a lot of casualties on both sides, but you have to admit he's shown courage. He has good equipment, but most of all he has good fighters," Trump said.

The statement comes as the war continues with no signs of ending and remains the main security challenge for the alliance on the eastern flank.

But NATO's attention is not just focused on Ukraine. In the Middle East, the ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains fragile after weeks of escalation that included US military intervention. Meanwhile, tensions also continue in Lebanon, where clashes between Israel and Hezbollah keep the risk of a wider regional conflict open.

In this climate of uncertainty, the NATO summit to be held on July 7 and 8 in Ankara is expected to focus not only on increased military spending and support for Ukraine, but also on the security challenges coming from the Middle East.

In Ankara, not only NATO's unity will be tested, but also the possibility of transforming the Alliance, where President Trump has a key role, asking Europeans to do much more for their defense.


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