US President Donald Trump touched down in Ankara on Tuesday for a pivotal NATO summit, setting the stage for high‑stakes talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan before joining fellow heads of state for an official leaders’ dinner. His arrival comes as NATO prepares a dramatic showcase of new defence spending a bid to convince the US president that Europe is finally stepping up.
At what diplomats are calling the alliance’s “big reveal,” leaders will announce tens of billions of dollars in fresh military contracts, many involving American defence giants. NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte said the deals are designed to demonstrate that allies are converting investment into “real firepower.”
“We will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend,” Rutte told reporters on the eve of the summit.
The defence spending blitz follows Rutte’s earlier attempt to reassure Trump with a chart dubbed The Trump Trillion highlighting $1.2 trillion in European and Canadian military spending since 2017. But Trump remained unmoved, blasting allies for refusing to join the US‑Israel war against Iran.
“We don’t need their money we don’t need anything,” Trump said. “I just want loyalty.”
Among the major announcements expected is a long‑planned contract to replace NATO’s aging fleet of AWACS surveillance planes, some of which are nearly 50 years old. Additional projects will be financed through the EU’s defence loan system, which has raised up to $170 billion on capital markets.
Rutte said NATO must ensure its economic strength translates into military capability “from defense plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors.”
The summit is being held inside Erdogan’s sprawling palace compound, and Trump has hinted he may arrive with “gifts” for the Turkish leader. But one potential flashpoint emerged hours before Trump’s arrival: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Washington not to sell F‑35 fighter jets to Turkiye, arguing Erdogan “calls openly for the annihilation of Israel.”
Turkiye was expelled from the F‑35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russian S‑400 missile systems. Despite this, Trump who maintains warm ties with Erdogan has suggested the jet sales could resume.
Netanyahu warned that giving Turkiye F‑35s would “upset the power balance in the Middle East,” undermining both Israeli air superiority and America’s strategic posture in the region.
With billions in defence deals, geopolitical tensions and Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy all converging in Ankara, NATO’s two‑day summit is shaping up to be one of the alliance’s most consequential in years.
The user should confirm this information with a trusted source.
+ There are no comments
Add yours