Ukraine, Iran shadow high-stakes NATO summit as Trump leans on allies, embraces Erdogan
The NATO summit kicking off in Turkey this week affords President Trump a rare in-person opportunity to lean on European allies dragging their feet on defense spending, as well as a chance to showcase his administration’s embrace of this year’s host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ukraine, Syria and a high-profile press conference also figure into the American president’s two days in Ankara.
Mr. Trump is set to arrive and meet with Mr. Erdogan on Tuesday, the day the NATO summit begins, and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa one day later, when Mr. Trump is also expected to hold a news conference, the White House said, before returning to the United States.
Mr. Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian president follows his Saturday phone calls with Mr. Zelenskyy and with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Zelenskyy said in a statement on X after his call that he and Mr. Trump talked about the latest war developments, and the Ukrainian leader said there is “a real prospect of ending this war.”
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Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that in Mr. Putin’s call with Mr. Trump, the Republican president reaffirmed his “readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities.”
The Associated Press reported Sunday that a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Mr. Trump will speak to Mr. Zelenskyy about finding a way to end the conflict, now in its fifth year, quickly. Mr. Trump is expected to follow up with Mr. Putin after his meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy in Ankara, the official said.
Mr. Trump has a history of criticizing NATO partners — and that’s not likely to change in Ankara.
European leaders have questioned Mr. Trump’s commitment to the alliance and they felt blindsided by the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran, while Mr. Trump chafed at Europe’s reluctance to provide airbases and other assistance in his war to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.
The president says he solidified NATO by prodding each member to meet last year’s commitment to increase defense and defense-related spending to at least 5% of their gross domestic product.
Mr. Trump is “going to consider this summit as a report card on the other members of the alliance on their progress, or lack thereof, when it comes to boosting defense spending,” said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. “He’s going to want to see progress being made on this.”
President Donald Trump meets with NATO …
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Mr. Trump made it clear that per-country spending is top-of-mind for him, pointing to U.S. defense spending that nears $1 trillion per year while allies spend less than $100 billion.
“The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing,” the president said Thursday on social media.
Mr. Coffey said that while defense spending might be the main topic publicly, “Ukraine will probably be the biggest topic privately.”
“The best way to help end the war and secure a just and lasting peace is to ensure that Ukraine can participate in any negotiations from a position of strength, and NATO Allies are stepping up to ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs,” a summit overview on the NATO website says.
Ukraine is not a member of the alliance, but NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that Mr. Zelenskyy will attend, continuing his run of appearances at high-profile summits over the course of the war with Russia, now in its fifth year.
On Iran, Mr. Rutte has been quick to praise Mr. Trump for his efforts to degrade Iran’s nuclear capability. He said NATO, generally, might have a role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“If NATO can be helpful somehow, we will be helpful. But, hey, if it can be done in other ways, that’s fine, as long as we make sure that we restore the freedom of navigation,” Mr. Rutte said at a recent Atlantic Council event.
In Mr. Trump’s view, the U.S. military is so powerful that it does not need outside assistance in defeating Tehran’s regime and preventing it from getting a nuclear weapon. Still, NATO’s reluctance left a bad taste in his mouth.
“It would have been nice if they said, ‘We’d like to help,’” Mr. Trump said.
With Iran peace talks underway, host-nation Turkey will be seen as a key conduit between NATO and the Middle East.
Mr. Trump recently said he asked Mr. Erdoğan to stay out of the Iran conflict “because he’s not a big fan of Israel, as you know.”
“I asked him to stay out. He stayed out,” Mr. Trump said. “Erdogan’s a great leader, very strong person.”
The U.S. president made it clear he is eager to solidify ties with Mr. Erdogan, whom he views as an ally and major player in global affairs.
“I’m going [to the summit] out of respect for President Erdogan,” Mr. Trump said.
Opinions about Mr. Erdogan diverge sharply, with some accusing him of eroding democratic rule in Turkey.
Still, he is an experienced and savvy statesman who’s loomed over Turkey’s politics for decades.
“He will ensure that the summit goes well,” Mr. Coffey said.
U.S. officials did not provide any details about the goals for Trump’s meeting with Mr. al-Sharaa.
But as Trump has grown frustrated with Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has complicated negotiations in the Iran war, the U.S. leader has repeatedly stunned many in the region by suggesting that Syria instead fight Hezbollah.
Mr. al-Sharaa, who led an Islamic insurgent group and whose rebel forces ousted Bashar Assad as Syria’s president, has said he has no interest in doing so. He has suggested Mr. Trump’s comments were misconstrued, even as Mr. Trump has repeated them.
— This article includes wire service reports.
