US President Donald Trump lashed out at NATO allies Wednesday at a summit in Ankara, as the fallout from his war with Iran threatened to overshadow the key gathering.
ANKARA: US President Donald Trump lashed out at NATO allies Wednesday at a summit in Ankara, as the fallout from his war with Iran threatened to overshadow the key gathering.
With tensions peaking after an overnight flareup between US and Iranian forces, Trump declared the Iran ceasefire was “over”, then took aim at NATO allies who failed to back his campaign against Tehran.
And he insisted he still wanted Greenland, calling European resistance to his stance a “big problem”.
“I’m very upset with NATO.. because of what they did with Greenland, and.. because of the fact that they didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran,” he said.
Trump singled out Spain for particular criticism calling it a “terrible partner in NATO”.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” he said, dragging up a bitter row that also touches on Madrid’s defence spending, urging his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut it off”.
And he raked up more sensitive territory by reiterating his desire for NATO member Denmark’s territory of Greenland.
“Greenland is a big problem for us,” he told reporters, saying it was “very important for the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark”.
“We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.. It doesn’t help Denmark, but it helps us.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had earlier issued a terse response to Trump’s remarks a day earlier, saying: “Greenland is, of course, not for sale.”
Allies anxious
NATO chief Mark Rutte had earlier sought to shore up confidence in Washington’s “complete commitment” to the military alliance as anxious allies readied for a face-to-face meeting with the mercurial US leader.
As he landed in Turkey on Tuesday, Trump was effusive in his praise for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highlighting their “chemistry” in remarks that contrasted sharply with his lingering bitterness with European allies.
The summit comes at a fraught time for the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance, with Trump demanding members make good on a pledge to ramp up defence spending as Washington takes a step back from Europe.
On the eve of the key session, the alliance published figures showing core defence spending by Europe had risen by 11% in 2026 and would hit $634 billion, up from $571 billion a year earlier.
Keen to avoid a new confrontation with Trump, NATO allies unveiled tens of billions in new arms contracts on Tuesday in a bid to prove they were making good on a pledge to hike defence spending.
“Yesterday was a great success,” Rutte said on Wednesday, saying allies were “delivering” by moving to take more responsibility for the defence of their continent in the face of Russia.
“This is a big win for the American president.”
With NATO keen to focus the US leader’s attention on its surging defence budgets, stalled efforts to halt the Ukraine war were also back on the agenda, with Trump saying he believed both sides wanted to end the fighting.
“I think they both want to make a deal,” said Trump, who will meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky later on Wednesday.
With negotiations at an impasse, Trump spoke with Russia’s Vladimir Putin before flying to Turkey and was to “follow up” with him after meeting Zelensky, a US official said.
Europe and Canada are set to pledge to keep military support flowing to Ukraine to the tune of 70 billion euros ($80 billion) a year in both 2026 and 2027.
Trump will also hold talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he seeks to rebuild the country’s international image as it emerges from years of civil war.
The meeting comes a day after the Syrian leader hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for a landmark state visit that was overshadowed by twin bomb attacks that wounded 18 in the capital Damascus.
Although Trump still appears rankled over restrictions some allies put on US forces using bases at the start of the Iran conflict, he brought welcome news for Erdogan, saying he would consider selling Turkey F-35 fighter jets and would roll back sanctions.
Ankara was booted out of the F-35 programme in 2019 after buying a Russian defence system, and has long sought a way to regain admittance and to secure the lifting of US sanctions that have soured ties and hampered Turkish defence projects.
