US President Donald Trump declared he is 'very disappointed with NATO' on the first day of a summit of leaders of the mutual defence alliance in Turkey that exposed tensions over European defence spending, the Russia-Ukraine war and the future of Greenland.
Trump arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for the summit along with other NATO leaders. The main session will be on Wednesday. The summit comes at a fragile time for the 77-year-old alliance, which has seen Trump sow discord over Iran, Greenland and Washington’s commitment to protecting fellow members.
After criticising NATO allies during a news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said that if the summit 'weren’t held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended'. He also named European allies who he perceived as unsupportive during the US-Israel war on Iran, saying 'Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down'.
Trump has ramped up pressure on European members to increase their defence budgets. Just five NATO members are projected to meet the alliance’s goal of spending 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product on core defence in 2026, according to updated NATO data. Some members are still expected to spend only about 2 percent.
The US president also reignited tensions over Greenland, saying the territory 'should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark'. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the summit she expects allies to respect Denmark’s sovereignty and accept that Greenland is not for sale.
Also on the summit’s agenda is NATO’s military support for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges the alliance to step up aid for air defences. Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the NATO gathering and is expected to meet Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump said he hoped it would be settled 'soon'.
Norway says it would provide three billion Norwegian crowns ($306.2m) for Ukraine’s air defence. Europe and Canada are expected to pledge to keep military support flowing to Ukraine in 2026 and 2027. Zelenskyy renewed his call for Ukraine to be allowed to join NATO.
Source: www.aljazeera.com