Disappointed with NATO, but delighted with Erdogan

NATO leaders unveiled tens of billions of dollars worth of arms deals in Turkey on Tuesday, sending a clear message that they are responding to U.S. calls to spend more on European defense, even as President Donald Trump said he felt let down.

Leaders gathered for a summit in the capital Ankara, hoping to show unity after another difficult year, in which the war in Iran has again exposed cracks in the alliance that has been the bedrock of Western security since the end of World War II.

In a meeting with President Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said he might have boycotted the NATO summit altogether if it weren't for his warm relationship with the Turkish leader, and did not rule out the possibility of further US troop withdrawals from Europe.

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"Well, we'll see. I was very disappointed with NATO," he said, singling out Britain, France, Germany and Italy for not doing enough to support the US war against Iran.

Trump added that the allies "have not treated us well," although he reiterated that he did not want or need their help.

"Before I even asked, they said they wouldn't be there, and we've invested trillions of dollars in NATO," Trump said.

Trump said that before the summit he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about ending the war that began in February 2022.

"I think they both want a deal. It's a shame it took so long... Something will come of it," he said.

“Relations with Turkey better than ever”

While sharply criticizing longtime allies, Trump announced that Washington would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2020 over its purchase of Russian air defense systems. He also expressed his willingness to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets.

Speaking to reporters at the Turkish presidential palace, Trump repeatedly praised Erdogan, saying there was "chemistry" between them and that relations with Ankara had never been better.

Despite the improved relations, Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 system in 2019 and the US imposition of sanctions on a major Turkish defense company in 2020, as well as Turkey's expulsion from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, have long been sore points. Resolving those issues would remove a key source of tension in the relationship, but is unlikely to happen quickly, Reuters estimates.

“We will lift the sanctions,” Trump told reporters shortly before meeting with Erdogan during a visit to Turkey for the NATO summit. “It’s time. We don’t want to impose sanctions on friends,” he said, adding that his secretary of state and treasury secretary were working on the issue.

Asked if he was concerned that Ankara still had the Russian S-400 systems, he said he was not. “I have no concerns about anything related to Turkey,” he said. “I would say that relations with Turkey are probably better now than they have ever been.”

Trump also hinted at possible support for allowing Turkey to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, although he did not say exactly how such a transaction might be carried out given legal hurdles and opposition in the US Congress.

"Turkey, in many ways, has been much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal... It's a great plane, it's the best, by far the best plane right now. And that's certainly something that we'll look at," Trump said.

Erdogan also said he hoped for a positive outcome regarding Ankara's desire to buy F-35 fighter jets. "We discussed this with the US earlier and we were promised five planes," Erdogan said, adding: "I know Mr. Trump always keeps his promises."

NATO allies increasingly see Turkey, which has the alliance's second-largest army and is a leading exporter of armed drones, as a bulwark against Russian aggression on its southeastern flank, while concerns about human rights and media freedom are rarely expressed.

Turkey is facing an unprecedented judicial showdown with the main opposition Republican People's Party, including the imprisonment of its presidential candidate, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main rival.

Rute wants a revolution in the defense industry

NATO members have repeatedly tried to show Trump that they are taking their share of responsibility.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said yesterday that Europeans have achieved a "stunning" increase in defense spending.

The deals, estimated by one NATO official to be worth at least $50 billion, include European countries' purchases of surveillance drones from the US company Northrop Grumman, as well as NATO's purchase of aircraft from Sweden's Saab.

Saab shares rose more than five percent at one point as investors counted on the company benefiting from European rearmament.

The European defense sector is often criticized as fragmented and burdened by bureaucracy and rivalries between companies and states, which has left Europe more dependent on American arms purchases.

Weak economic growth and the need to maintain generous state welfare systems have also made it difficult to advocate for higher defense spending in Europe.