Trump lashes out at NATO as first day of summit wraps in Turkiye

United States President Donald Trump has declared he is “very disappointed with NATO” on the first day of a summit of leaders of the mutual defence alliance in Turkiye 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 Turkiye, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended”.

Trump also named European countries who he perceived as unsupportive during the US-Israel war on Iran, saying, “We weren’t treated well because we did something in Iran.”

“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars when they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them,” he said.

“Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down.”

The US president cast a brighter eye toward Ankara, remarking on the “chemistry” between the US and Turkiye, vowing to remove sanctions and saying he would soon decide about the potential sale of F-35s.

“We have a very good relationship,” he said.

Defence spending

Topping this year’s NATO agenda is the pledge by members – in part spurred by pressure from Trump – to increase their defence budgets.

But 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 published before the summit.

That figure stems from an agreement reached in The Hague last year, which increased the spending goal on core items, such as weapons and soldiers, from a previous 2 percent.

Members also pledged to spend another 1.5 percent of GDP on broader defence-related items, such as boosting cybersecurity.

On the eve of the Ankara summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte demanded “clear, concrete and credible plans” for defence spending while insisting the evidence so far was “impressive”.

Delivering an address at a defence industry forum Tuesday, Rutte pointed to threats from China, North Korea and Iran – in addition to Russia, whose defence industry is “working around the clock” to supply the war on Ukraine.

“We must remain vigilant,” Rutte said. “These countries are increasingly working together.”

Analyst Alexandru Hudisteanu told Al Jazeera that Trump’s “aggressive” approach is “waking up Europeans” to the fact that they need to spend more.

Still, NATO data showed some members are still expected to spend only about 2 percent of GDP.

‘Not for sale’

The US president also reignited tensions over Greenland, telling reporters the territory “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”.

Trump has insisted for months that taking control of the autonomous Danish territory was crucial to US security, causing tensions with Copenhagen and across Europe.

Speaking in Ankara after Trump’s remarks, Danish ⁠Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expects allies ⁠to respect Denmark’s sovereignty and accept that Greenland is ‌not for sale.

“It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well-known everywhere that this is not going to happen,” Frederiksen said.

There are no plans to discuss Greenland, the Arctic or the High North during the summit, she added.

Greenland’s Foreign Minister Mute Egede wrote on Facebook that Greenland’s future should be decided by its people.

“That’s how it has always been,” he said. “And that’s how it always will be.”

Russia-Ukraine war

NATO is expected to pledge further military support for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges the alliance to step up aid for the country’s air defences following a deadly escalation of Russian attacks on Kyiv.

Zelenskyy – who has renewed his call for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance – wrote on Facebook Tuesday he had signed new agreements with Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark in Ankara.

The deals create “new opportunities for joint production, the development of innovative defense technologies, systematic exchange of expertise, and the export of Ukrainian battlefield-proven solutions”, he said.

Further agreements are expected with Germany, Norway, Finland and Canada.

Norway said it would provide three billion Norwegian crowns ($306.2m) for Ukraine’s air defences, specifically to protect against ballistic missiles, while Europe and Canada are expected to pledge to keep military support flowing to Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 at the summit.

Trump is expected to meet Zelenskyy on the summit sidelines on Wednesday, having spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the NATO gathering.

Asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump said he hoped it would be settled “soon”.

“I think they both want to make a deal,” Trump said. “It’s too bad it took so long, but I think something’s going to come out.”