Donald Trump landed in Ankara for the NATO summit, which centers on ramping up defense spending, against the backdrop of the American president’s repeated accusations that European allies aren’t pulling their weight within the Alliance.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan participate in a state arrival ceremony, ahead of a NATO leaders’ summit, at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
The gathering comes amidst the diverging goals of the U.S. and Europe: Trump and Erdogan are set to discuss F-35 fighter jets and Turkey’s Kaan program, while the U.S. president is also pushing to have CAATSA sanctions lifted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed his American counterpart with an elaborate ceremony that included a horseback escort and a series of firing cannons.
Following this reception, the two later spoke to reporters ahead of their bilateral meeting.
Trump praised Turkey’s role, saying it “helped the U.S. resolve the conflict with Iran,” and said he’s considering selling F-35 jets to Ankara. He claimed that the matter was nothing new since promises for the delivery of five jets had already been made.
Trump also added that “When you buy aircraft from the United States, you get the maintenance package too”.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shake hands as they participate in a state arrival ceremony and honor guard review, before attending a NATO leaders summit, at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Erdogan said he’s hoping for good news from the American president, who he said had personally committed to delivering the F-35s and the KAAN engines.
Reporter: Mr. President, are you going to sell F-35s to Türkiye, and what about the legal restrictions?
Trump: We’re going to make a decision. I would think that many people — I can tell, many people sitting right here — would say, why wouldn’t we do that?
We have a better… pic.twitter.com/VkFnKWorxk
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 7, 2026
Trump also took another swipe at his European allies, saying they offered no help at all during the conflict with Iran.
“I was testing people. I wanted to see if they’d be there for us,” Trump said, referring to allies’ stance on American operations against Iran.
The U.S. president claimed that countries like Italy, Germany, and France refused to take part, adding that “we were always there for them.” He also criticized the British government over its decision to allow American forces to use UK bases for what he called “defensive” strikes.
He also added that he wouldn’t have bothered coming to the NATO summit if it weren’t to meet with Erdogan, whom he described as a “great leader” and as a more loyal U.S. ally than others traditionally considered part of the friendly camp.
On the issue of Greenland, Trump repeating his position that it should be under U.S. control rather than Denmark’s. The American president touched on U.S. spending aimed at deterring Russia, arguing that the U.S. “wouldn’t need to spend any money at all” and could “pull all our troops out of Europe,” because, as he put it, “as you’ve probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago,” citing “migration and energy.” “If they don’t get a handle on those two issues, there won’t be a Europe anymore,” he said.
On the Russian-Ukraine War, Trump said he had spoken with both Putin and Zelensky, and that both sides want to reach an agreement. Zelensky and Trump are set to meet at the summit on Wednesday, as Ukraine has intensified its attacks against Russia’s energy sector in recent months, while Moscow’s mass attacks have resulted in the deaths of 50 people in Kyiv in July alone.
