President Trump is expected to hold a news conference Wednesday as the NATO summit enters its final day, following additional U.S. strikes on Iran that the alliance’s secretary general described as “absolutely necessary.”
“It was a very strong response, and I’m with you on this,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said of the strikes, which the U.S. carried out after Iranian attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Mr. Trump said the U.S. could restore its naval blockade of Iran and indicated Washington would probably hit Iran even harder again Wednesday night.
NATO’s backing came as Mr. Trump continued to pressure alliance members to increase their defense spending.
The alliance’s annual two-day summit is scheduled to conclude Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, where Mr. Trump made it clear that he views the U.S. relationship with Turkey as stronger than ties with some longtime NATO partners. The president has called on member states to commit 5% of their yearly GDP to defense and has repeatedly criticized countries he says are not contributing enough. He has also faulted several NATO members for staying out of the U.S.-Iran conflict, while continuing to raise the idea of acquiring Greenland.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump called Greenland “very important to us,” saying the U.S. “took Greenland” after World War II “and then stupidly we gave it back.” The U.S. did defend Greenland from German occupation during the war, but Denmark remained in control of the island.
“Greenland is, of course, not for sale,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated Wednesday.
“We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination,” Frederiksen said. “And we are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.”
She said Denmark is “ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory” in the event of an attack and would rely on NATO allies to honor their commitment to defend each other. Other NATO member countries have reaffirmed their support for Denmark.
Amid this rupture, Mr. Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. should help Turkey, a country that has “frankly has been more helpful to the United States than many other more traditional countries.”
On Tuesday, the Mr. Trump announced his plans to ease sanctions on Turkey, and said he’s considering allowing the country to reenter the the F-35 fighter jet program once again. Turkey was kicked out of the program by the Trump administration in 2019 over its use of Russian defense technology, seen as a national security concern. In 2020, Congress passed legislation effectively prohibiting the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey.
While some Republicans are still expressing concerns over the possibility of Turkey acquiring F-35s, Mr. Trump said he doesn’t have any concerns about Turkey, and praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
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“I have no concerns at all about anything,” he said. “I mean, he’s a leader of a country that he’s made a much better country, much more powerful country. You see it — I mean, it’s beautiful, you get off, the roads are beautiful, it’s an amazing thing. No, I have no concerns about anything having to do with Turkey.”
Tensions with Iran are also on the rise, and the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding is in jeopardy, after Iran struck tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. responded by revoking a general license for Iran to sell oil.
Mr. Trump met with a number of world leaders on the sidelines of NATO, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia’s war in Ukraine is another key topic for NATO allies, with no resolution in sight. During their meeting, Mr. Trump announced the U.S. will grant Ukraine the license to make their own Patriot missiles for defense, even as Mr. Trump offered sympathetic words to both Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. president told reporters to give him questions to convey to Russian President Vladimir Putin when they speak later.
A Ukrainian reporter asked, “When will he end this war?”
“That’s a good question,” the U.S. president responded. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked him that question. I’m going to ask him that question.”
contributed to this report.
