Trump Berates NATO Allies Over Iran at Ankara Summit
SkimNews Take
Pairing the spending increase demand with public rebukes for refusing to join the Iran campaign reframes the budget ask: the money is tied to participation in US-defined wars, not to NATO's collective defense posture.
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- Trump declared himself "very disappointed with NATO" on the summit's first day in Ankara, telling reporters he might have skipped the event if not for his "friend," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Trump named Italy, Germany, and France as allies who "turned us down" during the US-Israel war on Iran, asking: "Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars when they're not there for us?"
- Only five NATO members are projected to meet the alliance's 3.5% GDP defense spending target in 2026, with some still expected to spend about 2%, per updated NATO data.
- Trump reignited his campaign for Greenland, declaring it "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," as Danish PM Mette Frederiksen told the summit allies must respect Denmark's sovereignty and that the territory "is not for sale."
- On Ukraine, Norway pledged 3 billion Norwegian crowns ($306.2m) for ballistic missile air defense, Zelenskyy renewed his call for Ukraine to join NATO, and Trump said he spoke with Putin and hoped the war would be settled "soon."
Why it matters: Only five of NATO's members are projected to meet the 3.5% defense spending target in 2026, so Trump arrives in Ankara with neither the allied solidarity he demanded during the Iran war nor the budget commitments he keeps pressing for. The public call-outs of Italy, Germany, and France — alongside the renewed Greenland confrontation — leave the 77-year-old alliance visibly strained entering day two.
