ANKARA, Turkiye: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticised NATO allies for declining to support Washington during the conflict with Iran, saying he was “very disappointed” with the alliance and suggesting he was reassessing the United States’ military commitment to Europe.
Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after arriving in Ankara for the NATO summit, Trump also declined to say whether he would announce further reductions in US troop deployments across Europe, telling reporters: “We’re going to see.”
His remarks came as NATO leaders gathered in Turkiye for a two-day summit dominated by European defence spending, the war in Ukraine and the future of the US military presence on the continent.
Trump criticises NATO over Iran war
Trump said he had expected greater support from European allies during the conflict with Iran but claimed they had made clear they would not participate.
.@POTUS: “We’ve invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect European countries and others… You would think that they’d be very willing to do something to help us, and they really weren’t… I’ve long said that we help them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for… pic.twitter.com/qkfqX1CQea
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2026
“I was very disappointed with NATO,” Trump told reporters during a bilateral meeting with Erdogan.
“We didn’t need any help at all, and in a way, I was testing people. I was testing to see whether or not they’d be there, because I’ve long said that we help them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for us.”
He repeated the criticism, saying: “We weren’t treated well because we did something in Iran. Before we even asked, they said they weren’t going to be there.”
“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars when they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them,” he added.
When asked whether he planned to announce additional troop reductions during the summit, Trump replied: “Well, we’re going to see.”
Regional issues discussed
Trump and Erdogan also discussed Iran, Gaza and broader regional security.
Trump praised Turkiye’s role in efforts to end the conflict with Iran, saying Ankara had been “very instrumental” in helping bring the fighting to an end.
“They know Iran very well and they know the problems with Iran,” he said.
Erdogan said Turkiye was continuing efforts to help bring the United States and Iran to common ground and remained committed to strengthening regional and global peace.
“We will work towards restoring peace in the region,” Erdogan said when asked about the situation in Gaza, adding that he hoped the NATO summit would produce positive outcomes.
Trump calls Turkiye a ‘great’ US ally
Trump also suggested he had considered skipping the NATO summit altogether and said he attended largely because it was being hosted by Turkiye and because of his relationship with Erdogan.
Trump described Turkiye as a “great ally” and said bilateral relations had strengthened.
“I was very disappointed with NATO, and frankly, if it weren’t held in Turkiye, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have attended,” Trump said.
“I felt I had to attend because of the fact that I know he’s gone all out.”
Turkiye accorded Trump a ceremonial welcome on his arrival in Ankara, with Erdogan personally greeting him at the airport before the two leaders travelled to the presidential palace for talks ahead of the summit.
The Star-Spangled Banner Plays as President Donald J. Trump Arrives at the Presidential Palace in Turkey Ahead of NATO Summit. pic.twitter.com/lCgXCcrrJI
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 7, 2026
Trump says ‘we will consider’ selling F-35s to Turkiye
Trump said Washington would consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye despite Ankara’s removal from the programme in 2019 following its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system.
“That’s a decision we’re going to make,” Trump said. “It’s a great plane, the best plane by far, and it’s certainly something we will consider.”
.@POTUS on the possibility of selling F-35s to Turkey: “It’s a decision we are going to make… Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal — so, yeah, it’s something certainly we would consider.” pic.twitter.com/TqAUwkTpV5
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2026
He said the United States also intended to lift sanctions imposed on Turkiye over its acquisition of the Russian missile system.
“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump said. “We don’t want to sanction friends.”
Trump described Turkiye as a “great ally” and said bilateral relations had strengthened.
“We have a better relationship with Turkiye, and Turkiye has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal,” he said.
Erdogan said he hoped a “favourable decision” on the F-35 issue would emerge, noting that Turkiye had previously been promised five aircraft.
Ukraine expected to dominate NATO summit
The NATO summit is also expected to focus heavily on continued military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Asked about the conflict, Trump said he believed both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to end the war.
“I think they both want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters, expressing hope that the conflict would be settled soon.
The two-day summit comes a year after NATO members pledged to increase defence-related spending to five percent of gross domestic product under pressure from Washington.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said European allies are increasing military budgets and assuming greater responsibility for the continent’s security in response to the evolving security environment.
