ANKARA — Ahead of NATO’s annual summit, President Donald Trump sharply criticized several European alliance members while praising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership during his visit to Ankara on Tuesday.
Trump was given an elaborate welcome upon arrival in Turkey, where Erdogan personally greeted him on the tarmac and escorted the U.S. president’s motorcade through the city on horseback. The unusual reception included Turkish cavalry riders bearing American and Turkish flags and re-enactors presenting historical military attire as Trump made his way to Erdogan’s presidential compound.
In remarks to reporters, Trump singled out Turkey for commendation, highlighting its cooperation regarding tensions in the Iran conflict. By contrast, he expressed disappointment in European NATO countries, particularly the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and France, for their refusal to allow U.S. forces to use their military bases for potential operations against Iran and for their reluctance to support reopening the Strait of Hormuz for navigation.
“We weren’t treated well by the European nations,” Trump said. He accused these countries of declining to assist the United States despite longstanding American commitments to their defense and suggested that their contributions did not justify the financial burden borne by Washington. “Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them,” he added.
Trump also reiterated his proposal for the United States to purchase Greenland from Denmark, framing the island’s strategic value in terms of rising Chinese and Russian naval activity. He criticized Denmark for not supporting the idea and connected the disagreement to a broader critique of European defense spending and U.S. military presence in the region. “We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe,” he said, referencing shifts in the continent’s security landscape over the past two decades.
U.S. officials note that the president aims to focus on increasing European defense expenditures at the summit, including a push for a mandatory commitment to spend at least 5% of GDP on defense, a policy initiative from last year.
In his observations on broader geopolitical challenges, Trump warned that Europe’s approach to immigration and energy policies would be critical to its future stability. “If they aren’t careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore,” he said.
The gathering in Turkey comes amid ongoing debates within NATO about burden-sharing, strategic priorities, and the alliance’s response to emerging threats across its member states.