Trump welcomed by Erdogan in Turkey ahead of pivotal NATO summit

Donald Trump was greeted warmly by Turkey’s powerful president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after arriving for a pivotal NATO summit. The fast-moving two-day gathering carries major implications for Washington, the host nation and the alliance’s future, which has faced fresh strain amid Trump’s conflict with Iran. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO partners over what he described as their early reluctance to support Operation Epic Fury. An aqua-blue carpet stretched across the tarmac for his arrival, with Turkish military personnel standing at attention as the Republican moved in to embrace Erdogan. The two leaders have long shared a cordial rapport, with Trump often praising Erdogan’s toughness and, more recently, his stance during the U.S. war with Iran. Trump has noted that Erdogan kept Turkey out of the U.S.-Iran conflict and did not open hostilities against Israel. “Everything I’ve ever asked from him, he’s done,” Trump said during an Oval Office event in late June. The leaders then headed inside to begin the summit, at moments holding each other’s arms in a visible display of warmth. Trump is broadly expected to press NATO members to commit more money to defense.

Trump has previously dismissed the alliance as a “paper tiger” that would struggle to survive without U.S. leadership. Since his first term, he has complained that many NATO partners contribute too little to their own defense, arguing that American funding carries a disproportionate share of the burden. Erdogan, meanwhile, is reportedly seeking Trump’s approval for U.S. arms sales to Turkey, especially the American-made F-35 stealth fighter jet, among the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. Air Force. But current U.S. law blocks such a sale to Ankara, creating a significant complication for both leaders.

Congress moved in 2018 to prevent Turkey from acquiring the specialized U.S. aircraft after Ankara purchased Russian air defense systems during Trump’s first term. Lawmakers raised alarms that Russia’s S-400 system could potentially identify, monitor and gather intelligence on the F-35’s stealth technology. U.S. officials feared that allowing Turkey to possess both platforms would endanger the fighter jet’s critical technological advantage. Even so, Trump has appeared increasingly open to the idea of allowing F-35 sales to Turkey.

“I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy,” Trump recently said of Erdogan during an Oval Office appearance when asked whether he might provide the jets to Turkey during the trip. “Look, he’s a member of NATO … some people don’t consider him, but he really is.” Speaking about Erdogan at the same late-June Oval Office event, Trump added: “He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran — maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel. I asked him to stay out. He stayed out.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters this week that the alliance would unveil “tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend.” Still, Trump has made clear that higher spending is not his only demand from allies. “We don´t need their money – we don´t need anything,” he said recently. “I just want loyalty.” The summit is taking place at Erdogan’s expansive presidential palace complex in Ankara, and Trump has hinted that he may arrive with concessions for the Turkish leader. Appearing Monday on “Fox & Friends,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the United States not to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, warning that Erdogan “calls openly for the annihilation of Israel.”