Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to attend the NATO summit in Türkiye's capital Ankara next month, while emphasizing Washington's continued commitment to the alliance and warning that Israeli actions in Lebanon could undermine efforts to sustain the Iran-U.S. cease-fire.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV during a visit to Singapore, Fidan said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had spoken with Trump several times over the past month and that the U.S. president reaffirmed his plans to attend the gathering during those conversations.
"As far as we know, yes, he is planning to attend," Fidan said.
The foreign minister dismissed speculation that Washington could withdraw from NATO, saying he had seen no indication that the United States was preparing to distance itself from the alliance despite political rhetoric surrounding the issue.
Fidan said the United States has continued pressing allies to increase defense spending and assume greater responsibility for their own security, adding that European members had already begun boosting military budgets in response.
