US President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on July 7 for a NATO summit, where he praised his "chemistry" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and criticized European allies for their response to the ongoing Iran war. Trump was personally greeted by Erdogan upon arrival and escorted through the Turkish capital.

Sitting next to Erdogan at the Turkish leader's presidential palace, Trump said, "I was very disappointed with NATO," and suggested that if the summit were not held in Türkiye, where Erdogan is a "very strong leader," he might not have attended.

NATO officials are hopeful that Trump's strong relationship with Erdogan could help ease tensions stemming from the Iran conflict. In a significant development, Trump indicated that Washington would consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, reversing the 2019 decision to exclude Türkiye from the program due to its purchase of a Russian defense system. Erdogan confirmed, "Mr Trump has also personally given us his word on this matter."

Türkiye has sought to resolve issues regarding its readmittance to the F-35 program and the lifting of US sanctions that have strained bilateral ties and affected Turkish defense projects. Meanwhile, European leaders aim to avoid conflict with Trump, whose skepticism about Washington's commitment to NATO has raised concerns about the alliance's credibility.

Trump also remarked on the lack of support from some European countries, stating, "Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down," reflecting tensions within the alliance.

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