Donald Trump concluded the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, with a rambling press conference that barely addressed Nato topics, after a day of erratic and at times irascible behavior. The US president shifted from lambasting allies over defence spending and Iran to expressing a 'tremendous love' from western leaders, leaving alliance leaders relieved but wary.
Trump's Mixed Messaging Dominates Final Hours
Trump's mixed messaging dominated the final hours of the two-day gathering. He began by publicly calling Iran's leadership 'scum' and renewing his demand for control of Greenland. However, in a private meeting of 32 Nato leaders, he adopted a softer tone, telling allies that 'we want to remain with you' and avoiding earlier criticisms.
During a bilateral meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump offered to license the manufacturing of Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine. He later concluded the summit with a press conference where he praised Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, talked up the US economy, and claimed he was 'No 1 on TikTok.'
Renewed Support for Article 5 Hailed as Victory
Despite the erratic behavior, Trump's shift from critic to Nato supporter was hailed as a victory for the alliance. 'If there's one word that comes out of today it's unification,' Trump said. The final summit declaration affirmed an 'ironclad commitment' to Article 5, which states that an attack on one Nato member is an attack on all.
However, no date was announced for the next leaders' summit, due in Albania, amid hints it might not happen until 2028. European leaders expressed concern that Trump's grandstanding risks giving hope to Russian President Vladimir Putin, undermining deterrence and alliance unity.
Trump's Morning Grievances
European leaders had feared the worst after a dinner on Tuesday night at the Turkish president's compound. Their fears were realized when Trump appeared on Wednesday morning with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, launching into a lengthy monologue airing grievances against Nato and several members, as well as attacking Iran's leadership.
Trump said he was 'very upset with Nato,' complaining that members 'didn't want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that's Iran.' He specifically criticized the UK for initially refusing to allow the US to use RAF Fairford for bombing missions in Iran, before Prime Minister Keir Starmer changed his mind.
'The United Kingdom wouldn't let us use the island for two weeks, so we had to fly back,' Trump said, reiterating complaints he made against Starmer and Britain in the spring.
Renewed Greenland Claim and Defence Spending Complaints
Trump renewed his claim that Greenland 'was very important for the United States, but it's not important for Denmark,' despite Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stating that Greenland was 'of course not for sale.' He also complained about Nato defence spending, despite last year's agreement by all members except Spain to lift national defence budgets to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
'I'm very upset with Nato, that we pay far, far too much,' Trump said. 'Billions and billions of dollars, too much, because it's unfair, because we're protecting them, but they're not there for us.' He reserved fresh ire for Spain, which rejected the 3.5% target, telling Rutte: 'Spain doesn't agree to anything, and you shouldn't carry them.'
Hours later, however, Trump softened his tone, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that Spain 'came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today.'
Rutte's Strategy to Contain Trump
Rutte tried to contain Trump through flattery and occasional determined interruption, a strategy that appeared to calm him down. He praised Trump for persuading European Nato members to increase defence spending, saying: 'You did what President Eisenhower tried to do. It's your win.' Trump responded: 'That's why I like him.'
Soon after, however, Trump was asked if he considered the ceasefire with Iran to be over, prompting him to say: 'I don't want to deal with them any more. They're scum.'
Nato's 'Delivery Summit' Overshadowed
Trump's behavior overshadowed what Nato had hoped would be billed as a 'delivery summit' after last year's 3.5% spending pledge. More than $50bn of international arms contracts were announced during the summit, including a 12-country commitment to develop deep strike missiles with ranges from 300km to more than 2,000km.
