Trump and NATO allies to begin key talks at Turkey summit

ANKARA - NATO chief Mark Rutte on July 8 sought to shore up confidence in Washington’s commitment to the military alliance as anxious allies readied to meet US President Donald Trump at a key summit in Ankara.

“There is complete commitment of the United States to NATO,” he told reporters before the opening of the main session.

“But there’s also an expectation... that the Europeans and the Canadians will equalise their spending with the United States... which I think is completely fair,” he added, referring to one of Trump’s main complaints about the alliance.

The talks were to begin under the shadow of fresh tensions in the Middle East, with US forces launching extensive strikes on Iran following attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a wave of reprisals against American bases in the Gulf.

As he landed in the Turkish capital on July 7, Trump was effusive in his praise for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highlighting their “chemistry” in remarks that contrasted sharply with his lingering bitterness towards European allies over the war on Iran.

“I was very disappointed with NATO,” Trump repeated, setting the tone for the summit’s main gathering, which opens at 8.15am GMT.

The summit comes at a fraught time for the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance, with Trump demanding members make good on a pledge to ramp up defence spending as Washington takes a step back from Europe.

On the eve of the key session, the alliance published figures showing core defence spending by Europe had risen by 11 per cent in 2026 and would hit US$634 billion (S$819 billion), up from US$571 billion a year earlier.

Keen to avoid a new confrontation with Trump, NATO allies unveiled tens of billions in new arms contracts on July 7 in a bid to prove they were making good on a pledge to hike defence spending.

“Yesterday was a great success,” Rutte said on July 8, saying allies were “delivering” by moving to take more responsibility for the defence of their continent in the face of Russia.

“This is a big win for the American president.”

‘Greenland not for sale’

Trump risked reopening another old wound with NATO on July 7, reiterating that Greenland “should be controlled by the United States” in words that drew a brusque rebuttal from Denmark.

“Our position is as clear as it has been all through: Greenland is, of course, not for sale,” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said early on July 8.

With NATO keen to focus the US leader’s attention on its surging defence budgets, stalled efforts to halt the war in Ukraine were also back on the agenda, with Trump saying he believed both sides wanted to end the fighting.

“I think they both want to make a deal,” said Trump who will meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit.

With negotiations at an impasse, Trump spoke with Russia’s Vladimir Putin before flying to Turkey and was to “follow up” with him after meeting Zelensky, a US official said.

Europe and Canada are set to pledge to keep military support flowing to Ukraine to the tune of €70 billion (S$103 billion) a year in both 2026 and 2027.

Trump will also hold talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he seeks to rebuild the country’s international image as it emerges from years of civil war.

The meeting comes a day after the Syrian leader hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for a landmark state visit that was overshadowed by twin bomb attacks that wounded 18 in the capital Damascus.

‘No sanctions for friends’

Although Trump still appears rankled over restrictions some allies put on US forces using bases at the start of the Iran conflict, he brought welcome news for Erdogan, saying he would consider selling Turkey F-35 fighter jets and would roll back sanctions.

Ankara was booted out of the F-35 programme in 2019 after buying a Russian defence system, and has long sought a way to regain admittance and to secure the lifting of US sanctions that have soured ties and hampered Turkish defence projects.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump said at Erdogan’s opulent marble-clad presidential palace.

Sitting next to him, Erdogan said he was confident Trump would end the dispute. AFP