The two-day NATO summit kicked off in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7. According to a report, President Trump met with Turkish President Erdogan on the same day.
During the meeting, he said, “If it weren’t for my friendly relationship with the Turkish leader, I might have boycotted the NATO summit, and I wouldn’t rule out further troop withdrawals from Europe.”
“We’ll see. I’m very disappointed with NATO,” Trump added, pointing out that the UK, France, Germany, and Italy haven’t done enough to support the U.S. in its war with Iran.
“Italy turned us down, Germany turned us down, and France turned us down,” Trump said, according to a news report. “That’s fine, but why should we spend hundreds of billions of dollars while they don’t support us? We’ve always had their backs.”
He went on to say that the allies “haven’t been kind to us,” though he again stressed that he doesn’t want or need their help.
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump remarked, “I think both sides want to reach an agreement. It’s a shame it’s taken this long… eventually, there will be a result.”
Trump also renewed his push to seize Greenland from Denmark.
“Greenland should be under U.S. control, not Denmark’s. That’s why my relationship with NATO is strained—because Greenland is useless to Denmark. Denmark doesn’t really spend money to help Greenland, but Greenland is an important part for the U.S.,” Trump said.
Denmark immediately objected. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expects allies to respect Denmark’s sovereignty and reiterated that Greenland is not for sale.
Trump also announced that the U.S. would lift sanctions on Turkey and make a final decision on restarting the potential sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Ankara. This marks a possible major shift in U.S.-Turkey defense relations, which have been frozen due to Turkey’s purchase of Russian weapons.
