Trump Pressures NATO Allies In Ankara To Raise Defense Spending, Considers F-35 For Turkey

At the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, President Donald Trump renewed pressure on European allies to raise defence spending and said he would consider allowing Turkey to buy American F-35 fighter jets.

“The president continued to lash out at other NATO allies over Iran”

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Trump told reporters that “Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down and France turned us down,” linking the criticism to the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Iran dossier.

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DW said NATO chief Mark Rutte called for a “trans-Atlantic defense industrial revolution” as leaders met in Ankara for talks and defense deals on Tuesday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 8.

DW also reported that talks were taking place amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine and a fragile US-Iran ceasefire deal, framing the summit’s agenda around security pressures beyond Europe.

In Ankara, Courthouse News described the summit as a test of transatlantic relations, noting that Trump maintained a hostile attitude toward European nations and suggested the U.S. could remove troops from Europe.

Italian Australian News said Trump accused Italy, Germany and France of turning their backs on the United States during the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Iran dossier, delivering the remarks in front of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The same outlet quoted Trump describing Giorgia Meloni’s position as “She was not there for us,” while also reporting that Meloni later described relations with Trump as “cordial.”

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Courthouse News reported that Trump wrote on social media that it was “Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal,” referring to European refusal to join U.S. attacking Iran and forcing Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

RFE/RL said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters that the other 31 allies “already are investing around 4 percent of their GDP in defense and security,” positioning the alliance’s response to Trump’s criticism as a spending trajectory.

Citing the same RFE/RL briefing, Oana Lungescu said diplomats hoped the “spirit of Evian” from the recent G7 talks in France would extend to Ankara, including on support for Ukraine.

The dispute over Europe’s security commitments sharpened as Trump revived his push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland and suggested the U.S. could pull all of its armed services members out of Europe.

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CNBC reported Trump said the island territory “should be controlled by the United States,” and also quoted him saying “We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe,” tying the threat to Europe’s refusal on Greenland.

DW said NATO leaders were meeting in Ankara as allies discussed defence deals and industrial plans, while Courthouse News described the summit’s uncertainty amid global instability and strains inside NATO.

RFE/RL framed the summit as dominated by defense spending, saying the alliance agreed that all 32 allies would spend 5 percent of GDP on defense by 2035 and that Ankara would focus on showing a “credible path” toward the target.

BGNES described the summit as a test of NATO’s future, warning that a reduction in the US military presence could leave capability gaps Europe cannot fill quickly enough, while also noting that leaders were expected to reaffirm support for Kyiv and commit around $80 billion in assistance over this year and next.