Trump Lands in Turkey for a NATO Summit Fractured by the Iran War
The president touched down in Ankara as allies openly feuded over America's strikes on Iran and a new 5% defense-spending demand, with Russia's overnight assault on Kyiv hanging over the talks.
President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for a two-day NATO summit that has been overtaken almost entirely by the fallout from America's war with Iran, landing at a gathering that is as divided as the 32-member alliance has been in years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the summit's host, welcomed Trump at the presidential palace, a stop the president made clear was the main reason he agreed to attend at all.
"Except for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don't think I would have gone to it," Trump told reporters before departing Washington, a blunt acknowledgment of how strained his relationship with parts of the alliance has become. He repeated his long-running warning to allies who fall short on military budgets: "If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them."
The tension is rooted in Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. campaign against Iran that has splintered European capitals. Spain, Italy and Germany either declined to support the operation or sharply limited their involvement, and the United Kingdom initially refused before reversing course. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez went furthest, branding the American strikes "illegal, absurd and cruel." U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Trump "has expressed disappointment in both a couple of our allies' unwillingness to support us," pointing to disputes over base access and overflight rights during the Iran mission.
Money remains the other flashpoint. NATO leaders agreed last year to a new benchmark of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense and related security, a figure Trump has championed and many members are struggling to meet. The president has repeatedly noted that the United States "spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far," and aides say he intends to press laggards face-to-face in Ankara rather than settle for another communique full of promises.
Looming over everything is Russia. Overnight, Moscow launched one of its heaviest barrages of the war against Kyiv, firing 23 ballistic missiles, 39 cruise missiles and six hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missiles alongside 351 attack and decoy drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force. At least 11 people were killed and scores wounded, with the capital the primary target. The attack ensured that Ukraine and NATO's long-term strategy toward Russia would share the formal agenda even as the Iran rift dominated the corridors, leaving Trump to navigate two crises at once in a room full of uneasy partners.
Originally reported by Fox News.