ANKARA, July 8, (v7n) – US President Donald Trump received a pomp-filled welcome in Ankara on Wednesday as he arrived for a NATO summit, where allies sought to keep him onside while he prepared for tough negotiations on defence spending, the Iran conflict, and the war in Ukraine.

Trump was effusive in his praise for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, highlighting their "chemistry"—a stark contrast to his lingering bitterness toward European allies over the Iran war. "I was very disappointed with NATO," Trump repeated, setting the tone for the main session where he would face the alliance's 31 other leaders.

The summit comes at a fraught time for the transatlantic alliance, with Trump demanding members meet defence spending pledges as Washington steps back from Europe. On the eve of the session, NATO released figures showing European core defence spending had risen 11 percent in 2026 to $634 billion, up from $571 billion the previous year. Allies unveiled tens of billions in new arms contracts on Tuesday to prove they were delivering on their commitments, insisted NATO chief Mark Rutte.

Trump said he believed both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the fighting, ahead of talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines. He had spoken with Russia's Vladimir Putin before flying to Turkey and planned to follow up after meeting Zelensky. Europe and Canada are set to pledge €70 billion ($80 billion) annually in military aid to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, while Zelensky urged NATO to step up air defence support and reiterated Kyiv's push for membership.

Trump also planned talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a day after the Syrian leader hosted French President Emmanuel Macron in a visit overshadowed by twin bomb attacks in Damascus that wounded 18.

In a major boost for Erdogan, Trump said he would consider selling Turkey F-35 fighter jets and roll back sanctions imposed after Ankara bought a Russian defence system in 2019. "We're going to be taking the sanctions off," Trump said at Erdogan's presidential palace. "We don't want to sanction friends." Erdogan expressed confidence the dispute would be resolved.

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