NATO leaders stood shoulder to shoulder for a group photo on Wednesday before departing Ankara after a turbulent two-day summit.
The reality behind the scenes is much more complicated.
Personal conflicts, negotiated agreements and desperate pleas for help were a constant backdrop to the Alliance leaders' gathering. And at the heart of the summit, President Donald tramp He renewed his criticism of NATO, accusing the allies of exploiting the US and not being good partners, which was a stark reminder that appeasing the American leader is no easy task.
However, Trump was not the only major player last week.
The following is a look at some of the officials from this year's "family photo," and the frictions hidden behind their smiles.
Unpredictability factor
Donald tramp
The allies tried to play it safe ahead of this week's summit, pledging to increase defense spending and buy American-made weapons. That wasn't enough to stop the anti-NATO tirade that Trump launched as soon as he arrived in Ankara.
Trump told reporters shortly after arriving in the city that he was "very disappointed with NATO" and sharply criticized the allies for, as he stated, not recognizing the disproportionate role of the United States.
“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us?” Trump said. “We’ve always been there for them.”
He then repeated his long-standing complaints about the alliance, complaining that members are not doing enough to increase defense spending targets, criticizing European immigration and energy policies and reviving the idea that the US should take control of Greenland, reigniting a dispute with allies over the future of the Arctic island.
The two-day summit, it seems, did not change his mind much. In a fit of frustration during a brief conversation with the NATO chief Markom Ruteom On Wednesday, Trump said: "I'm not happy with NATO because of what they did with Greenland, and I'm not happy with NATO because they didn't want to help us with the biggest state sponsor of terror, which is Iran."
He then named Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy as lagging allies, before fiercely attacking Spain as a “lost cause” and ordering a suspension of trade with that country.
His outburst highlighted a new reality: Washington's relationship with NATO has fundamentally changed, as the world's most powerful military withdraws from the Alliance.
Boss
Mark Rutte
As Trump puts pressure on the foundations of the Alliance, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is working overtime to keep everything together.
His strategy: kiss the ring.
Rutte, who has mastered the art of “whispering to Trump” so much that he called him “daddy” during last year’s summit, has so far found a successful formula for dealing with the US president: focusing on finances. Last year, he won Trump’s favor by promising that allies would increase defense spending. This year, he promised that members would invest in American defense companies.
Speaking to Politico ahead of this week's summit, Rutte strongly supported Trump's controversial policies, arguing that encouraging allies to increase defense spending and modernize their militaries was a win-win move. And he didn't stop there, saying that launching a war against Iran was also a smart decision for Washington.
"I just like the man. I think what he's doing for NATO is great," the head of the Alliance said.
After the US carried out major retaliatory strikes on Iran and Trump said the ceasefire had almost collapsed, Rutte supported the move, saying it was "absolutely necessary" and a "very strong response."
Despite Trump's constant nagging, Rutte is determined to send a message that the US is still a full partner in the Alliance.
“I think the president is right to say that there are individual cases where he is rightly disappointed, but when you look at the bigger picture of what the Europeans are doing, it is enormous,” he said, pointing to a number of commitments by European countries in terms of defense spending and aid during the US campaign against Iran.
The host who won the most
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Every family has its problem child. Turkey has long been a problem for NATO, whether because of its close relations with both Moscow and Beijing or because of a series of human rights violations, including the recent crackdown on protests, not to mention the occupation of Cyprus and ongoing conflicts with Greece.
However, as Washington withdraws from the Alliance, members are considering closer military ties with Ankara, which has the second-largest army after the United States.
That's not all that went in the Turkish president's favor. To Recep Tayyip Erdogan while hosting this year's summit - he is also one of Trump's favorites. If Erdogan had not been the host, the US president might not have shown up at all this week, Trump told reporters last week in the Oval Office.
Ankara is expected to use this favor to conclude a deal to return to the US F-35 fighter jet program, from which Trump kicked Turkey out in 2019 for purchasing Russian air defense systems.
Trump hinted that a deal could be on the horizon, telling reporters on Tuesday that "that's a decision we're going to make," adding that "Turkey has been much more loyal in many ways than other countries that we thought would be loyal."
But even if Turkish and American leaders sign the deal, it will likely face significant bipartisan resistance in Congress, which has the ability to block the sale of the fighter jets.
Ending a friendship
George Meloni
Before Erdogan took on that role, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also played the role of "Trump's whisperer."
That relationship spiraled out of control earlier this year over Meloni’s lack of enthusiastic support for the Iran war. It further soured after the recent G7 summit in France, when Trump claimed Meloni had begged him for a photo, prompting a sharp response from his former Italian ally. “Italy and I never beg,” Meloni said at the time.
Trump appeared to escalate their public feud ahead of this week's summit, posting a meme on social media that he needed a restraining order to keep the Italian prime minister at bay. While Meloni's allies came to her defense, Rome dismissed Trump's comments as meaningless.
This strategy seems to have calmed tensions at least somewhat.
“I think she’s actually a nice person,” Trump told reporters Tuesday when asked about his announcement. But not all was forgotten: “She refused to get involved … so that soured my relationship with her a little bit,” he added, apparently referring to Italy’s refusal to help with Trump’s operations in Iran.
Last performance
Keir Starmer
It is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's last major global event before he hands over the keys to 10 Downing Street to challenger Andy Burnham later this month.
He did not arrive in Ankara with good prospects for success.
Starmer came without a clear plan for how the UK would meet the defence spending targets sought by Trump. The defence investment plan, which Starmer published last week, only envisages reaching defence spending of 2,7% of GDP by 2029 - but does not specify how the UK would reach 3,5% by 2035.
British Minister of Defense The Jarvis, whose predecessor abruptly resigned less than a month ago over frustrations over defense spending, told Politico that he believes it is “critical” to find a path to 3,5 percent as soon as possible. He added that this was the message he planned to convey in Ankara.
That may not be enough to avoid Trump's wrath, as the US president is already unhappy with the British prime minister over what he perceives as Starmer's failure to support the US during the war with Iran.
Not in group photo - neighbor in need of help
Volodymyr Zelensky
Not all key actors are part of the NATO family.
After Ukraine suffered multiple deadly attacks by Moscow-backed ballistic missiles in recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to Ankara to talk with his NATO neighbors, primarily thinking about air defense.
"Please help us get more air defense missiles. This is our top priority now," Zelensky said Tuesday at the NATO Defense Industry Forum.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly made that request in recent weeks. He even wrote a letter to Trump and Congress to argue for more U.S. Patriot systems, which are uniquely equipped to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks. But the war with Iran has further depleted the already limited global supply of Patriots, leaving the U.S. with insufficient supplies to rearm a depleted Kiev.
Trump's solution? Let Ukraine produce its own Patriot systems.
“We’re going to give you a license to produce the Patriot,” Trump told Zelensky ahead of their bilateral meeting on Wednesday. “That way you won’t be able to complain that we’re not giving you enough. I say: make them yourself.”
Although he added that “we haven’t told the company yet,” Trump assured that everything “will turn out fine.” When it comes to efforts to end the war, Trump said that “there can’t be a deadline, there’s too much going on, but I think you’ll have a deal.”
In an ominous sign of the state of America's commitment to ending the conflict that has kept nearby NATO on edge for more than four years, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the war "doesn't affect us."
Prepared by: NB
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