While he once again expressed “deep disappointment” with NATO, threatening to withdraw all his country’s forces from Europe, US President Donald Trump lavished praise on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, indicating that US relations with Turkey are at their best, pledging to lift sanctions on it and seriously consider selling it F-35 fighters.
This came in statements made by Trump during his reception by his Turkish counterpart Erdogan in the capital, Ankara, where he arrived to attend the NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In what appears to be an increase in pressure on his traditional European allies and the 32 NATO members attending the summit, the US President brought up the “Greenland” file, stressing that control of the island “should go to the United States, not to Denmark.”
This is happening at a time when NATO leaders, on Tuesday, began announcing billions of dollars in arms deals, in an effort to emphasize their response to American demands to increase spending on defending Europe, ahead of an upcoming summit with the American President.
The tension within NATO – specifically between Trump and a number of European leaders – has worsened since the US-Israeli war on Iran last February, as Trump repeatedly criticized members of the alliance, accusing them of not doing enough to help his country in its war with Iran, and hinting that he might withdraw from the alliance.
On the other hand, European officials confirmed that they had largely fulfilled their obligations to allow America to use their country’s airspace and bases, despite their dissatisfaction with Washington’s failure to consult them regarding a war that had negatively affected their economies and was not very popular in their countries.
American rapprochement with Ankara
During his meeting with Erdogan, Trump made positive statements, describing Türkiye as a militarily strong country, and pledging to lift sanctions on it.
- Praise for Türkiye and its president
The American President addressed his Turkish counterpart, saying: “Under the leadership of President Erdogan, Türkiye has become a militarily strong country,” noting that Ankara possesses a lot of American military equipment.
Trump said that Türkiye has a large number of excellent soldiers, stressing that it is “a country that should not be underestimated.”
He described the relations between his country and Turkey as being at their best, stressing: “I can say that our relations with Turkey are better now than ever before,” and he also addressed Erdogan by saying: “You are a leader who is respected all over the world.”
Trump indicated that he had enjoyed good harmony and a wonderful relationship with Erdogan from the beginning, explaining that their discussions would address trade, military issues, and many other files, including Iran.
He explained that the United States and Turkey have extensive trade relations and distinguished joint production, and that this has a great impact on the two countries.
At the same time, the US President also expressed his disappointment with NATO, saying: “Frankly, if (the NATO summit) had not been held in Turkey, and if my friend (Erdogan), who is a very strong leader and a very strong personality, had not been here, I probably would not have participated in it.”
Regarding the US-Israeli war on Iran, Trump praised Türkiye’s non-alignment with Iran, adding: “But Türkiye and a number of other countries played a very important role in helping.”
He said that Türkiye could have joined “the other side” in the war, adding: “But it may not have done so thanks to me.”
- Türkiye sells F-35 fighter jets
In another indication of rapprochement, Trump promised to consider the possibility of selling Ankara F-35 aircraft, after Washington excluded it from the program of these advanced fighters due to its purchase of a Russian air defense system.
Trump said that Turkey is a more loyal partner compared to others, adding: “So this is definitely an issue that we will take into consideration. It is a wonderful plane, the best, even the best at the moment and by a wide margin, and this is certainly an option that we will consider.”
For his part, President Erdogan expressed his confidence in the issuance of a positive decision from the current NATO summit regarding Ankara’s desire to purchase F-35 fighter jets, after his meeting with his American counterpart, adding that Trump had promised to provide Turkey with 5 aircraft and that he “always keeps his promises.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during an interview with Fox News yesterday, Monday, that he asked Trump not to move forward with the F-35 deal, warning that it would upset the balance of power in the Middle East and Israeli air superiority.
In addition to the F-35 fighters, the director of Al Jazeera’s office in Ankara, Abdul Azim Muhammad, said that Turkey is very interested in the engines of the Turkish “Qan” jet aircraft, as it seeks to obtain the right to manufacture these engines, which are of the American “F-110” model.
Muhammad quoted Trump as saying that Türkiye is an ally and its acquisition of these technologies does not represent any concern for the United States, and that America must support its ally in this issue.
- Lifting sanctions on Türkiye
President Trump has hinted at the possibility of lifting CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions imposed on Türkiye.
In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions under this law on Türkiye due to its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems.
Trump added: “We are working with the relevant ministers on removing Türkiye from the scope of these sanctions. We do not want to impose sanctions on our friends.”
The director of Al Jazeera’s office in Ankara points out that the Turkish government is very interested in lifting sanctions on some leaders of the defense industries, and allowing banking transactions for defense industries to be conducted by lifting the CATSA law.
Continued American pressure on NATO
On the other hand, the American President continued his attack on NATO, which is holding its 36th summit, pointing out that his country has invested trillions of dollars in the alliance, asking: Why? Before he took the initiative to answer, “In order to protect European countries, Canada, and others. And in general, to protect countries from the threats that previously came from the Soviet Union, and now from Russia.”
Trump expressed “deep disappointment” in NATO’s position during the war on Iran, commenting on the reluctance of the alliance’s countries to contribute to the war by saying: “We did not want any help at all, and in a way, I was testing people. I was testing them to see if they would stand by our side, because I always said that we helped them, but I am not sure” whether they would do the same thing.
Prior to his visit to Ankara, Trump, through his “Truth Social” platform, called on European countries to increase their spending on their self-defense.
At last year’s NATO summit, members agreed to increase their target to 5% of GDP, 3.5% on military spending by 2035 and 1.5% on security-related needs.
Al Jazeera correspondent Fadi Mansour reported that Trump wants to see clear and practical commitments from NATO countries, by increasing their defense spending to 5% of their national product by 2035, in fulfillment of what they pledged during the last Hague summit.
Meanwhile, the United States went beyond rhetoric and announced a gradual withdrawal of warplanes, destroyers and submarines from NATO countries.
While a NATO official acknowledged to Al Jazeera that the United States continues to review the deployment of its forces in Europe, adding: “It has not informed us of any decision yet.”
CNN quoted a senior US administration official prior to the Ankara summit as saying: “It should not be surprising that we are conducting a review of the military situation, or that this review may lead to amending it,” in reference to the US military presence in Europe.
According to CNN, Trump discussed reducing US forces in Europe by a third, asking: “Will that send the right message to (so-called allies)”?
Bring up the Greenland file
As part of the pressure, and while the NATO summit was being held, the US President said from Ankara that control of Greenland should go to the United States, not to Denmark.
Trump’s statements regarding America’s insistence on acquiring or controlling Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish region, raise tension between Washington and Copenhagen, and more broadly in Europe.
Trump points out that the issue of control of Greenland has harmed US relations with NATO, of which America and Denmark are founding members.
He said: “This is what harmed my relationship with NATO. Greenland does not benefit Denmark, and Denmark does not actually spend money to help Greenland. This is an important region for the United States, and it is surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.”
Earlier Tuesday, CNN quoted a high-ranking American official as saying that the only solution the United States sees is to annex the island of Greenland, adding: “But we will continue to explore other options to address these considerations.”
What is NATO’s position?
NATO leaders announced billions of dollars in arms deals during the ongoing summit in Türkiye.
Analysts believe that the contracts announced by European countries at this summit are an attempt to appease the Trump administration.
During a defense industries forum in Ankara, to the sound of rousing music and elaborate visual presentations, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a series of initiatives, while the values of the various deals were displayed on a screen.
He called for a “revolution” in the defense industry across the alliance, warning against Russia’s massive military spending, as well as China, North Korea and Iran.
“We don’t have much time,” Rutte said. “We need the capabilities now to ensure we stay ready. The security situation requires it.”
The deals, most of which were kept secret – according to Reuters – to have a greater impact during the summit, included European countries purchasing drones for surveillance and reconnaissance from the American company Northrop Grumman, in addition to the alliance purchasing aircraft from the Swedish company Saab.
